Wizard:Starting from Synthesizing Gems

One week later.

In the dwarf district of the port city near Lilith's Cottage, Locke and Raun rented two houses.

The main reason was that the owner of this dwarf district, the Hearthstone Dwarf Blacksmith, provided many free accommodations for Wizard Seedlings from overseas and poorer local wizard apprentices.

At the entrance of the dwarf district stood a massive statue of a three-legged black iron furnace, with burning coals placed inside.

Living here was indeed convenient for Locke and Raun. The street offered free services from the dwarves, ranging from food and lodging to daily necessities—all completely free.

As wizard apprentices, Locke and Raun were merely insignificant junior members within Lilith's Cottage.

But in the eyes of the ordinary citizens living in the cities affiliated with this wizard organization, they were extraordinary figures.

Hosting these wizard apprentices held many hidden economic benefits for the dwarves.

This seemed to involve some unspoken rules and behind-the-scenes dealings, but Locke, currently focused solely on his studies, couldn't be bothered to figure them out.

A knock sounded at the door. Locke pushed open the wooden door of his residence and saw a male dwarf standing outside, only half his height.

The dwarf wore blue overalls and carried a large bag of milk, some eggs, and two slices of Queen's White Bread drizzled with honey and milk.

The dwarf attendant bowed respectfully to Locke and said, "Lord Augustine, this is the breakfast Master Hearthstone Blacksmith has sent for you."

"If you have any needs, please let us know."

"The dwarf district welcomes you."

Locke accepted the breakfast expressionlessly. "That'll be all."

"In the afternoon, I'll need someone to clean my residence. But remember, do not enter my study—there are dangerous things inside."

The dwarf attendant quickly replied, "Understood, Lord Augustine..."

Locke closed the door. After finishing breakfast, he sat on a fabric sofa in his study and gazed at the numerous pots of Mandala Vines placed on the floor.

These Mandala Vines were all gifts from his mentor, Sophia.

Synthesizing one Level 4 Mandala Vine required consuming 27 ordinary Mandala Vines.

Creating one Level 5 Mandala Vine demanded a total of 81 ordinary Mandala Vines.

Truth be told, if not for his good fortune in meeting Mentor Sophia, Locke would never have been able to acquire such a vast quantity of Mandala Vines in such a short time.

It just went to show that even with the Horadric Synthetic Cube, the path of magic still demanded enormous resources.

But the rewards were equally remarkable.

Locke looked at the Level 4 Mandala Vine before him. It was noticeably larger than ordinary vines, its surface covered in deep purple scales.

According to its description, this vine was called a Super Mandrake Vine, boasting comprehensively enhanced functionality.

Locke spent two days of his free time testing and discovered that the overall performance of this Super Mandrake Vine was even slightly better than the description of the Tiff Loron Vine in the books.

But this wasn't his biggest gain of the week.

With a slight thought, the Invisible Mandrake Vine hidden on his right arm automatically revealed itself.

After consuming 81 pots of ordinary Mandrake Vines, he had synthesized a Level 5 Mandrake Vine, which had produced a special synthesis formula—resulting in the Invisible Mandrake Vine.

The Invisible Mandrake Vine possessed all the traits and capabilities of the Super Mandrake Vine but also had the added ability of invisibility.

This meant his magical plant inherently carried a passive invisibility cantrip.

It would grant him a tremendous advantage in combat.

With the enhancement of the Invisible Mandrake Vine, the strength of his Vine Hand would reach a level unattainable by ordinary third-class wizard apprentices.

Moreover, it would amplify all his subsequent Vine Hand series of spells.

Locke recorded the relevant data in his study. "Right now, Mandrake Vines aren't worth much, but even a single pot of ordinary Mandrake Vine costs about 1 Magic Stone."

"Teacher Sophia likely gave them to me because she found them useless. If I hadn't taken them, she would've just thrown them away to save space."

"Otherwise, the total value of all the Mandrake Vine pots she gave me would easily exceed a hundred Magic Stones."

Locke gazed at the Level 5 Mandrake Vine coiled around his right hand and sighed inwardly—learning magic was truly expensive.

He pondered, "And it's not just about the money."

"Since Mandrake Vines have long been obsolete, it's difficult for me to acquire such a large quantity."

"It's only because Teacher Sophia happened to have an experiment requiring so many Mandrake Vines that I could obtain them. Otherwise, I'd have to cultivate them myself."

"That would've taken about a year."

"Being able to acquire a Level 5 Mandrake Vine so quickly this time was also due to luck." Locke looked at the Invisible Mandrake Vine on his arm. "Because my magical plant leveled up, my spiritual power has also increased slightly."

"This magical plant should be enough to sustain me until I reach the Second-Class Wizard Apprentice stage. That way, I won't have to replace my magic vines with Tiff Loron Vines."

"After attending the public lecture, I'll go to Teacher Sophia's office and test my spiritual power using her Amethyst Matrix."

The Witch Sophia had permitted Locke to use some of the safer items in her office—among them, the Amethyst Matrix for testing spiritual power.

From his recent conversations with Raun, Locke learned that not all wizard mentors were as generous as Witch Sophia.

Most wizard apprentices, aside from himself, had to pay 5 Magic Stones just to borrow the Amethyst Matrix once—even though using it didn't consume any magical resources.

Locke glanced at the pot of Super Mandrake Vine placed on the floor. "If I sold this pot of Super Mandrake Vine, I could probably earn around fifty Magic Stones."

"Moreover, since its performance is even better than Tiff Loron Vine, it would definitely sell well. But if I really did that, I'd be courting death."

Locke thought warily: "If I just used it myself, that would be fine. First, others wouldn't know the specifics; second, they'd assume it was the work of my mentor, the witch Sophia, and wouldn't ask too many questions. My mentor wouldn't reveal my secrets either."

"But if I, a mere third-class wizard apprentice, suddenly started selling this enhanced Mandala Vine, it would attract countless wizards trying to uncover my secrets."

Locke tapped his fingers on the table as he pondered: "Even if I were to sell it, I'd need to advance my wizard rank further and complete the magical plant breeding course to become a Breeder first."

"That way, when I bring it to market, people would simply think I'm a talented Breeder."

"Fortunately, my mentor, the witch Sophia, is also a first-circle Breeder."

So-called Breeders are wizards who specialize in cultivating unique magical plants.

Plant magic requires many special magical plants as spellcasting materials. Different magical plants can cause the same plant magic to exhibit varying levels of potency.

Thus, being a Breeder is a relatively common wizard profession.

The improvement of Tiff Loron Vine was the masterpiece of a first-circle Breeder from Holly Tower fifty years ago.

Since then, Tiff Loron Vine has replaced Mandala Vine as one of the most popular magical plants among novice wizards.

Locke set himself a goal in his heart: to become a Breeder.

"Once I become a Breeder, I can openly sell the super magical plants I've synthesized."

"Additionally, by continuing to serve as Sophia's Magic Potion brewing assistant, I can learn some skills."

"Of course, the most important thing is to advance to Second-Class Wizard Apprentice as soon as possible. Only then will I be safe from being eliminated by the academy. And only by becoming a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice will I truly be considered a wizard of Lilith's Cottage."

Locke glanced at the mechanical clock in his room, a housewarming gift from the dwarves of Hearthstone. "There's still an hour before the basic rune class."

"I'd better set off now."

"The quality of public lectures at Lilith's Cottage is even higher than I expected."

"If I don't go early, I might not get a good seat."

The public lecture hall of Lilith's Cottage is located in the center of the port city.

The public lectures are taught in rotation by different Formal Wizards and First Class Wizard Apprentices.

Most of the time, it's First Class Wizard Apprentices teaching, but occasionally Formal Wizards will give lectures.

Although they often teach half-heartedly, this is the only chance many wizard apprentices get to see Formal Wizards.

Unlike the witch Sophia who only has one student, other Formal Wizards in the academy have numerous students under them. Generally, third-class wizard apprentices never get to meet their Formal Wizard mentors face-to-face.