Inside Halen Vera's office.

Halen Vera inquired, "By the way, Locke, what's your current rate of mental power increase through meditation?"

Locke said, "About 1 point per day."

Halen nodded. "This improvement speed is even faster than I thought. This speed is approximately twice as fast as the improvement speed of a Child of Elements after advancing."

"After First Circle, you can absorb more natural force from the natural force plane, so of course the improvement speed will be very fast."

"This is different from the apprentice stage. Compared to the apprentice stage, where ten nights or even twenty nights of hard meditation could only increase mana by 1 point, the speed of increasing mana at the formal wizard stage is much faster."

"The difficulty in advancement lies in the fact that between the liquefaction stage and vaporization stage, there's a full 3000 points of mental power difference, which is in total amount."

Halen Vera said, "This three thousand point mental power gap is equivalent to the mental power of three ordinary wizards. However, your mental power improvement speed is much faster than I thought."

"After becoming a formal wizard, previous talent proportions become relatively smaller. What's being compared is no longer your affinity with elemental particles. Because formal wizards have too many methods to modify their own bodies and souls, so what's being compared is ideas, projects, and resources."

Locke nodded. This was indeed the case.

The biggest reason why physical transformation methods to improve talent couldn't be performed during the apprentice stage and mortal stage wasn't actually lack of resources.

It was that the body was too fragile.

It was like carving flowers on soft tofu. The difficulty was naturally very high.

But a formal wizard's soul had permanent defensive field protection, so they could make relatively major modifications to themselves.

Improving elemental particle affinity was naturally a small matter.

Essentially, his current mana improvement speed was already more than double the improvement speed of an ordinary Child of Elements.

This was because he had performed First Circle level ancient creature bloodline transformation on himself (after becoming a First Circle wizard, he improved the bloodline positioning precision of the Three-Eyed Tiger Cat).

Locke said to Halen Vera, "Teacher Halen, I want to publish the data for several of my apprentice-stage projects, apply for patents, publish association S-rank articles, and at the same time I want to cooperate with Lady Irina. Perhaps we can reach mutually beneficial cooperation on certain matters."

"This way, I can also keep these projects within your network at Lilith's Cottage headquarters."

"Teacher, what do you think?"

This would benefit all parties, even three parties, because this also brought in Lady Irina who owned many shops in Chimera Trading Market.

Halen Vera nodded, showing a pleased expression. "Locke, not every student learns to be grateful to their teacher like you do."

"Of course I welcome this. As long as those projects in your hands continue, they'll be enough to help many of my students and even give them hope of advancing to formal wizard. Although those people don't have your talent, perhaps they can become ordinary formal wizards."

Halen Vera smiled with satisfaction. "I can help you contact Lady Irina. As for how to negotiate afterward, that depends on you two. I won't participate."

"In any case, I won't let you suffer losses."

"Thank you for helping me, Teacher." Locke bowed to Halen Vera. With Halen Vera here, he could indeed guarantee the interests of his industries in the southeastern quadrant. Otherwise, once he left, it would be really difficult to supervise here.

...

A month later, Locke entered the public library. The dwarf scholar Orr quickly left the front desk and came out to bow to Locke.

The dwarf scholar Orr said to Locke, "Lord Augustine, the evaluation grades for the articles you previously published have all come out."

Dwarf scholar Orr looked at Locke with a complex expression. He had almost witnessed the entire process of Locke growing from a first-class wizard apprentice to a First Circle wizard.

Similarly, he had also witnessed the entire process of Witch Sophia growing into a formal wizard.

He didn't know if, in his lifetime, he could see Locke's students grow from wizard apprentices to formal wizards.

Probably he wouldn't have this opportunity. He heard the academy had already agreed to let Wizard Locke Augustine leave Lilith's Cottage.

"Lord Wizard Augustine, congratulations on your articles receiving praise from many wizards in the association and academy." Dwarf scholar Orr said, "Your two types of magical vines, the cultivation method for Super Mandrake Vines and the cultivation method for Invisible Mandrakes, received scores of association A-rank and academy S-rank articles."

"Your cultivation method for Crystal Palm Fire Lotus, cultivation method for Wiregrass Bull Sinew, and publication of the Memory Ointment formula all received scores of association A-rank articles."

"Your cultivation methods for Jade Iris Lichen and Perseus Eye Lichen, cultivation method for Omen Mandrake Vines, and the principle of Bear Spirit Jade Bile Potion, these four articles were all evaluated as association S-rank articles and academy SS-rank articles."

"Also, your publication of the Beholder Lord Potion formula even received a high score evaluation of 98 points from the association side and was listed as an S-rank article and academy SS-rank article."

Dwarf scholar Orr's voice even trembled slightly as he spoke of Locke's achievements. It was hard to believe these were achievements obtained by a wizard during the apprentice stage. "Similarly, your method for large-scale batch cultivation of rare magical plants, that article was evaluated by the association as 100 points."

"The association has raised the permissions required to access that article."

"Similarly, your article on the cultivation method for the Two-Ball Plane Tree was also evaluated as 100 points, and the permissions required to access this article have been restricted."

Now that Locke was leaving here, even if these things were to be sold, it would be difficult to guarantee confidentiality. After all, he wouldn't be here in person and would be in contact with too many people. So he might as well use them to publish S-rank association articles, apply for patents, and obtain awards.

This would be more useful for him.

After all, when it came down to it, these were just some apprentice-level trinkets. Although they could improve the basic level of plant-based wizards in this wizard land, especially at the apprentice stage, they couldn't improve it by much. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

After all, many of these things were only suitable for himself, magical plants or potions custom-made for himself.

For example, the Beholder Lord Potion, its side effects weren't less than the Beholder Potion but would be even more severe. If ordinary wizards drank too much, they might directly be aberrated into abyssal life forms. Locke had originally worried that after publishing the formula and effects of his Beholder Lord Potion, it would be listed in the White Wizard Association's forbidden potion list.

The biggest impact among them was the appearance of the Two-Ball Plane Tree, which in the future could make rare magical plants at the apprentice level in the southeastern quadrant more abundant.

Of course, these papers and patents only published the principles and didn't explain too many details about the technical process.

So even if he published them, those with the ability to replicate them would still be those few most powerful ones in the southeastern quadrant. Even if other wizard organizations obtained the articles and copied them, it would just be square pegs in round holes.

And these few families, once he left, as long as products were still sold in the southeastern quadrant, the principles and details would definitely be stolen by them. It couldn't be concealed for long.

As for specific technical details and mature technology for mass production, he transmitted these things to them through cooperation with Halen Vera's students here, having them operate these projects for him in the southeastern quadrant.

This way, he also kept the projects with the academy and Halen Vera's side.

This way the academy side wouldn't have opinions about him, and he could continue to earn a relatively stable sum of money in the southeastern quadrant year after year.

After dwarf scholar Orr finished speaking, he looked at Locke with reverent eyes. "This time you published a total of 5 association A-rank, academy S-rank articles; and you also published 7 association S-rank, academy SS-rank articles."

Association A-rank, academy S-rank articles aside, these articles didn't have any special influence.

But association S-rank, academy SS-rank articles—articles of this quality, even if taken to other wizard lands, would be acknowledged to some extent.

These were articles that reached a universally recognized level.

Dwarf scholar Orr said, "You must be that kind of wizard who is very wizardly. So even in the apprentice stage, you could have so many ideas."

"I believe in you. You will definitely become an even greater wizard in the future."

"Exploring truth and mysteries is exactly what we wizards should be doing, but some wizards, for various reasons, have long lost their original intentions and begun pursuing fame and profit, pursuing benefits."

Dwarf scholar Orr said, "Your Jade Iris Lichen and Two-Ball Plane Tree, because of their unique functions, although only apprentice-level, but considering they will play huge roles in war in the future, and you're already a First Circle wizard, the White Wizard Association of the southeastern quadrant specially issued you supplementary Honorary Invention Certification badges."

"These two magical plants have already been included in the southeastern quadrant's White Wizard Association's germplasm bank, preserved at special first-class permission level. Moreover, these two magical plants, like other First Circle magical plants, have been included by the White Wizard Association into the southeastern quadrant's most valuable magical plants list sequence."

"And in the field of potionology, Bear Spirit Jade Bile Potion and Beholder Lord Potion, these two potions have also each issued you Honorary Invention Certification badges."

"Their formulas have been included in the association's public library for preservation and have been included by the White Wizard Association into the southeastern quadrant's most valuable potions list."

Dwarf scholar Orr looked up at Locke and explained slightly. "The entry threshold for those two lists is either invention of First Circle level potions or magical plants, or apprentice-level potions and magical plants of major significance to the southeastern quadrant."

"That said, for apprentice-level works to be included in these two lists is a very rare situation, which further proves their gold content."

"And these four certification badges are being awarded to you because you're already a First Circle wizard."

"Similarly, your previous patent applications for these works have all been approved. All wizards in the southeastern quadrant will remember that the inventor of these works is you."

Locke understood his meaning. If he weren't a First Circle wizard, even if he published these magical plants and potions, he wouldn't be able to receive Honorary Invention Certification badges.

Because this was a privilege exclusive to First Circle wizards.

So to speak, magical rank was the key to everything.

Doing the same thing, different magical ranks could harvest completely different things.

This way, he had used these things to exchange for fame and honor, and then he could use this as a springboard to seek greater things.

Locke took the four association-level Honorary Invention Certification badges and wore them on himself. A month ago, Dean Thompson had even said he lacked First Circle level badges.

Well, here they were.

Four Honorary Invention Certification badges at once, worn on his chest gleaming, would become eye-catching wherever he went, letting people know of his achievements in the field of magic.

At the same time, they were also one of the keys to applying for teaching positions.

Locke said a few words to dwarf scholar Orr, then turned to head to Chimera Trading Market. Although he had published articles and applied for patents, after all he hadn't published all the details, so his interests would only relatively shrink rather than completely disappear.

He had already arranged with Teacher Halen Vera and Lady Irina to discuss business cooperation matters today in the VIP room at Lijin Secret Language.