Wizard: I'm leveling up by AFK in another world

Claire searched most of the black market and finally found it in a small alley.

This original tidal essence is far superior to those inferior goods on Shell Street; it's clearly a premium product from a major company.

Both its size and condition are impeccable.

Strangely, this primordial tidal essence of such high quality is priced at one hundred and eighty magic stones here.

The inferior pearls on Shell Street are not even a tenth the quality of this one, yet they sell for at least sixty magic stones.

"Can I take a look?" Claire decided to be cautious.

After all, under normal circumstances, without any packaging or price markup, this Primal Tide Essence could sell for at least two hundred magic stones.

"Of course." The stall owner looked knowing, as if he had already anticipated Claire's doubts. "Take your time. The quality of what I sell is exactly what you pay for, absolutely no fakes."

Claire held the pearl in the glass bottle in her palm, and a panel popped up at the right moment:

[Blueprint material detected: Primal Tidal Essence]

It looks like it's genuine.

He then casually asked, "Which company's goods are they from?"

"Grey Amber Workshop, serial number available."

Claire looked at the bottom of the glass bottle and saw that it indeed bore the silver maple leaf logo of the Grey Amber Workshop, along with a series of numbers.

Judging from the pearl's activity, it is highly likely that it was spilled out after the giant tidal mussel farm was destroyed.

"This is a nice item," Claire said, pulling her purse from her pocket. "I'll take it."

"If you don't want to die, you'd better pull your hand back."

A cold voice suddenly came from behind Claire.

The stall owner's expression changed instantly.

Claire turned to look at the person who had stopped her: "What do you mean?"

"Things from the Gray Amber Workshop aren't so easy to get." The man's tone held a hint of sarcasm. "Why do you think he sells them so cheaply?"

He seemed oblivious to the stall owner's murderous gaze, and leisurely walked over, pointing at the Primal Tidal Essence in Claire's hand:

"Look closely, there's a faint blue glow inside the pearl. That's a positioning rune implanted by the Gray Amber Workshop to prevent theft."

"They can track the shipment's whereabouts anytime they want. That's why this guy is trying to act quickly to evade detection."

The man looked at Claire with a mocking expression: "First time here, huh? So many people come and go without a single one making a move. Do you think they don't know their stuff?"

The stall owner finally snapped: "Shut up!"

"Hmph, I've said my piece, the choice is yours."

After saying that, he turned and left.

"The company really needs an internal overhaul. A breeding base was attacked, and while few people were rescued, a huge amount of goods were smuggled out," Kevin Charles sighed inwardly.

In the past month, Gray Amber Workshop has suffered heavy losses in its deployment in Blue Ocean Realm, so it mobilized its employees and established a task force to investigate.

Anyway, with the war raging now, most businesses are struggling to survive, so these employees are just sitting around doing nothing.

Kevin was a member of the task force, assigned to investigate the underground black market in Whale City.

If he performs exceptionally well in this operation, his family's sponsorship of his advancement to the advanced apprenticeship level will be a certainty.

For this reason, Kevin has been lying in wait in this dirty and chaotic sea creature castle for almost half a month.

Two days ago, he finally found traces of a batch of meditation methods that had been circulating in the company.

These high-end goods are incredibly valuable, and sellers are willing to spend a lot of money to deal with the location runes, making them a key target for the task force's investigation.

As for things like the Primal Tide Essence, we can save them for later and pursue them slowly. Very few people would be foolish enough to buy them.

"I'll take it for 150 magic stones."

Kevin paused, turned around, and looked at Claire in disbelief.

The gray-robed man pointed out the magic stone and handed it to the stall owner, then stuffed the glass bottle into his own pocket.

"There really are people who are neither bright nor smart." Kevin shook his head, didn't linger, and turned to leave.

He has already said something unnecessary out of good intentions; trying to stop him would only make things worse for him.

Even if this kind of guy doesn't fall at Black Reef today, he'll die in some unknown corner in the future.

After walking for a while, Kevin frowned slightly.

Upon closer reflection, the gray-robed man seemed strangely familiar.

Have I seen you somewhere before?

……

……

Claire, of course, had no idea about Kevin's complex inner thoughts.

Filled with the joy of successfully finding a bargain, he walked out of Black Reef Fortress.

Positioning runes?

Go talk to him on his panel!

After climbing hundreds of steps, the wall closes in behind you, isolating you from the dark underground realm.

Claire felt a little out of place returning from the bustling market.

tick tock...tick tock...

The sound of water droplets falling was amplified infinitely in the silent sewer.

pat!

Claire paused.

He was being followed.

His mind, which had been somewhat dazed by the joy, quickly calmed down, and the fireball that had instinctively formed in his hand immediately dissipated.

"One, two, three, four... Damn, is someone watching that stall the whole time?"

After her advancement, thanks to some unknown element, Claire became exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in the mental energy of wizards.

But perceiving them is one thing; actually fighting against four mid-level apprentices is simply unrealistic.

Claire forced herself to remain calm and maintained her pace. After turning a corner, she cast a speed spell on her feet and sprinted into the distance.

The tail behind him clearly hadn't expected him to suddenly accelerate, causing a brief disturbance in his mental energy before the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard.

"Quick, after him! He's spotted us!"

"Don't let him get away! That kid definitely has some kind of secret artifact that can block location tracking!"

Since they've already been exposed, the other party might as well stop hiding.

Four dark figures darted out from the shadowy corner with incredible speed, condensing into beams of magical light as they hurtled towards Claire.

Claire dodged left and right, barely managing to avoid the attack, but she had no strength left to retaliate.

A series of loud explosions resounded through the sewers, and the resulting turbulence severely disrupted Claire's senses.

He turned a corner, and suddenly a yellowish-brown light appeared in the darkness ahead.

Swish!

An earthen wall rose out of nowhere, blocking the way.

"You run pretty fast, little mouse."

A sinister voice came from behind the earthen wall.

There was actually one more person.

The other party was clearly very familiar with the sewer system and took advantage of Claire's panicked pursuit to circle around and ambush her ahead.

I was too careless.

He stopped and slowly turned around.

The pursuers behind her had caught up, and pairs of cold, greedy eyes beneath the black robes scanned Claire.

"What do you want?"

"That primordial tidal essence, and your method of blocking the Gray Amber Workshop's location."

"...I don't have that kind of thing."

"Do you still think we're stupid?" one of them sneered. "Hand over the stuff obediently, or else..."

"Otherwise, when your soul is extracted later, dying won't be so easy!"

Another hot-tempered accomplice, clearly losing patience, raised his hand and shot a dark green acid arrow at Claire.

"Why waste time talking to him! There are plenty of ways to get the information out of him!"

"Let's do it!"

Following closely behind the acid arrows, fireballs, wind blades, and resentment also came one after another.

Claire was about to unleash all her magic in a desperate attempt when she suddenly realized something was wrong.

The four spells flying towards her slowed down so much that Claire could even see their magical trails.

In addition, the entire space in this sewer area seemed to have frozen.

Only Claire could still move.

但他不敢动.

He saw a tall figure emerge from the shadows not far away.

The man was wearing a white robe, the hem of which hung down on the sewage-filled ground, yet it remained completely unstained.

With each step he took, the surrounding shadows seemed to come alive, transforming into black tentacles that silently entangled the four robbers frozen in place.

next second.

puff.

The four mid-level apprentices who had driven Claire to the brink of despair were crushed like tomatoes, exploding into a bloody dance under the strangulation of the shadow tentacles.

Claire didn't turn around, but she could sense that something blocking her path behind her had been erased.

The person behind the earthen wall was not spared either.

Claire's eyelids twitched, realizing that the space here had returned to normal.

However, he dared not breathe loudly, staring intently at the white-robed figure walking towards him, and couldn't help but want to kneel down.

"Stand still."

A detached voice came, and Clarton immediately felt the pressure on his body ease.

He took a deep breath and bowed his head respectfully: "Lord Marius."

"Um."

Marius Charles waved his hand, and the five robbers, along with the last traces they left in the world, vanished.

"Don't be nervous," he said, walking up to Claire and looking her up and down. "I know what you've been doing lately, and I've been observing you for the past few days."

"You passed the apprentice potion master exam after only one month of enrollment. Everyone says you have exceptional talent as a potion master, but in my opinion..."

Marius looked into Claire's eyes: "Your wizarding talent is truly exceptional."

Seeing Claire's astonished expression, the formal wizard continued:

"The rating from the mental strength test can only determine your starting line at the very beginning."

"The path you take on as a wizard, the speed at which you progress, and the height you ultimately reach are determined by other things."

"Even a wizard with so-called ninth-grade talent can achieve the path of a legendary wizard by endlessly pursuing the highest truth."

He paused, then said, "Just like you, Claire. You possess the thirst for truth that a wizard should have, and you will do everything in your power to obtain it."

"I believe that even if you don't become a potion master, you will still be able to realize your talents in other fields."

Claire was embarrassed by what he said.

But he didn't relax at all.

A formal wizard who had been observing him for a long time and then followed him all the way to save him certainly wasn't doing it to praise him.

Sure enough, after spouting a few more empty words, Marius changed the subject:

"However, a good wizard should also have the ability to grasp the situation and not let go of any opportunity or possibility."

"Just like when you realized the situation at the farm was irreversible, you withdrew in time, ultimately saving Elena and ushering in a turning point in your life."

A mysterious smile appeared on Marius's indifferent face: "Now, I also want to invest in you."

"Elena, my sister. Although she has good talent, she has obvious flaws in her character and lacks the qualities of a wizard."

"It's impossible to stay in the academy if you want to pursue more knowledge," Marius shook his head. "All knowledge comes at a price. The more advanced the knowledge, the more pollution it carries."

"Only by becoming a higher-level wizard can one be qualified to touch the truth."

"To achieve this, one must participate in interdimensional conquests, experience the baptism of blood and fire, and witness the splendor of endless worlds."

"And I worry that Elena won't be able to bear the risks she's taken along the way."

"But... I'm ultimately too far away from her. The help I can offer might actually hurt her."

"And you, as a friend she made when she first embarked on her wizarding journey, are the perfect fit."

"You want me to protect her?" Claire understood.

"Until she is promoted to senior apprentice." Marius nodded. "In exchange, I won't let you work for nothing."

He took out a black book from his storage ring.

There was no text on the cover, but Claire was instinctively drawn to it after just one glance.

"After being promoted to intermediate apprentice, the basic meditation method is still sufficient, but as your mental strength improves, it will eventually become a hindrance."

"This is the 'Scroll of Time,' a meditation method I used during my advanced apprenticeship. If you use it during your intermediate apprenticeship, it will greatly enhance your meditation speed."

"However, this will also come with a high level of pollution. So I will give you a trial period. Once you pass, I will give you a prescription to eliminate the pollution caused by the 'Scroll of Time'."

A meditation method used by advanced apprentices!

Claire's gaze instantly turned fervent as she looked at the black book.

The meditation techniques used by novice apprentices sell for hundreds of magic stones, while those used by intermediate apprentices can fetch thousands.

Although apprentice potion makers can earn money quickly, it still takes a considerable amount of time to reach that amount.

Unexpectedly, this formal wizard was so sincere that he immediately offered to teach him both stages of meditation!

The only condition was that he take care of his sister.

"From now on, your sister is my sister." Of course, he didn't say that.

How is a successful probationary period determined?

"Lead her to a successful interdimensional conquest and earn at least a fifth-grade rating." Marius took out a piece of parchment. "If you have no objections, sign this soul contract."

Claire quickly read through it and readily signed it.

"Very good," Marius nodded in satisfaction. "I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

"I've used this meditation method before, so I can't give it to you. Go back to the academy library, find any meditator, and just mention my name."

"That's all for now. If you're done, head back quickly. Something big is going to happen in the Blue Ocean Realm soon, so don't come back unless absolutely necessary."

"I don't want you to die here without me even knowing why I just invested."

Marius waved his wand, and Claire saw a flash of white light before her eyes. When her vision returned, she was already at the port of Whale City.

The enormous silhouette of the starship descended overhead, blotting out the sky.