Locke entered the highest-level VIP reception room. Lady Irina, wearing a gold and red interwoven outfit with an exquisite epaulette hanging from her shoulders, was already waiting inside. When Locke walked in, Lady Irina, dressed in a gown-like wizard robe, stood up to greet him.

Locke closed the door, and Lady Irina's serious expression changed, her speech becoming much more colloquial. "Locke, I was quite shocked when I heard you became a formal wizard. I didn't expect that the little wizard apprentice who used to linger in my two shops, Lijin Secret Language and Owl Cauldron, would now be a First Circle vaporization stage wizard."

"Time really passes too quickly." Lady Irina glanced at Locke, her eyes smiling. "Perhaps this can't be blamed on time, but rather that Locke, your advancement speed is truly too fast."

"This kind of rapid change makes me feel time has passed very quickly."

Lady Irina's gaze paused slightly on the four Honorary Invention Certification badges hanging on Locke's chest. These were the badges that best demonstrated a formal wizard's achievements in the southeastern quadrant. For Locke to obtain four at such a young age announced to the world his fruitful magical research results.

A flash of admiration passed through Lady Irina's eyes.

Locke said, "I still need to thank Senior's shops. During my apprentice stage, they helped me greatly. Without Senior's two shops, my products couldn't have been sold so smoothly."

Lady Irina was a liquefaction stage wizard, with mana far above Locke's.

In the southeastern quadrant, wanting to break through from vaporization stage First Circle wizard to liquefaction stage First Circle wizard was very difficult.

Lady Irina smiled warmly. "Not at all. The products you developed have actually helped my shops greatly, earning me quite a bit of reputation."

"I've long wanted to find a special opportunity to thank you."

"Who could have thought that in the blink of an eye, you're already a First Circle wizard." Lady Irina said, "Later I'd like to invite you, Locke, to have a meal at Witch's Kitchen."

Locke naturally gave her this face. "Thank you, Senior."

Lady Irina smiled with satisfaction. "Teacher Halen Vera has already told me your thoughts in advance. Locke, you're going to a larger wizard land? How enviable."

"This kind of freedom where the sky's the limit for birds to fly is something only geniuses like you and Sophia can enjoy."

Longing flashed through Lady Irina's expression, but when she thought about her established foundation here, and that going outside might not necessarily be better and might even be worse, she had long chosen the path of stable living.

So Lady Irina came back to her senses and said to Locke, "I think your idea is particularly good. You don't have the energy to manage products in the southeastern quadrant, while I have a complete industry in Chimera Trading Market."

"If we two cooperate, it will absolutely benefit both if we unite, and harm both if we separate."

Lady Irina stood up, poured two cups of wizard fragrant tea, and handed one to Locke. She liked to steep wizard fragrant tea in boiling water so the aroma would be rich and mellow. The tea taste was quite bitter, so the teacup was still scalding hot.

"But I still want to give some reasonable suggestions." Lady Irina was weighing her tone. Locke was neither her student nor a wizard apprentice, so naturally she couldn't appear overbearing. When a senior gave suggestions to a junior on equal terms, she couldn't speak too quickly, her tone couldn't be too urgent, and her voice couldn't be too loud.

Otherwise it would seem she was still viewing Locke with old eyes, easily causing rifts in their relationship.

Especially now, Lady Irina really wanted to reach cooperation with Locke, whether it was mass producing a small portion of apprentice-level magical plants, or cooperation in the directions of Jade Iris Lichen and Bear Spirit Jade Bile Potion.

Even though Locke had already published articles, registered patents, and disclosed principles, the specific techniques and mass production methods were still in Locke's hands.

For others to reverse-engineer through articles, even Virdantia University's top research groups would need at least one or two years, or even three or four years.

And during this time, it would be enough for them to make a big profit, and even form a relatively stable and healthy industry in the future.

Therefore, Lady Irina valued this meeting initiated by Mentor Halen Vera quite highly. This wasn't just giving Locke a convenience, it was also giving her a benefit.

Thinking of this, Lady Irina even felt somewhat grateful to Teacher Halen Vera in her heart, thinking fondly that he had recommended her to Locke.

Irina slowed her tone and said in a very sincere voice, "I think your idea of cooperating with me, or others, to open a share-based shop won't maximize your interests, Locke."

"Instead, it will increase work time and costs, wasting your energy."

"Establishing a share-based company, you'd have to send people over to understand the company's internal operations, costs and profits, participate in company decisions, and so on... In short, the costs you'd bear would be quite large, and you'd have to invest quite a bit of time."

"This doesn't match your current desire to conveniently obtain subsequent profits while being able to wholeheartedly pursue teaching positions."

Lady Irina said, "I have a better choice that I can recommend to you. I wonder if you're interested in learning about it, Junior?"

Locke sat on a chair made of magical creature leather and took a sip of wizard fragrant tea. "Senior, please speak."

After confirming that Locke was indeed interested, Lady Irina smiled slightly. "I think Locke, you can authorize several of your potions and magical plants to me through brand confirmation. This way you won't have to bear the related costs at all. I'll bear those costs."

"I'll pay you a fixed brand fee of sixty thousand magic stones per month plus 10% of net profit."

"What do you think?"

"I heard our fellow disciple, Green Witch Christine from Four Seasons Garden, has already registered the name Augustus Magical Plant Series for you, so I think your several potions can also be incorporated into this Augustus Magical Plant Series."

Lady Irina said, "In the southeastern quadrant, I have shops in the three major white wizard markets—Lilith's Cottage's [Chimera Market], the [Sacred Tree Market] shared by Virdantia University, Four Seasons Garden, and Pyrotechnic Academy, and northern Niflheim University's [Northern Market]."

"I have 47 shops in Chimera Market, 12 shops in Sacred Tree Market, and 27 shops in Northern Market."

Lady Irina smiled. "Plus, with Teacher Halen Vera helping you operate the projects, I believe we can quickly expand the business and comprehensively sell apprentice-level rare magical plants, Jade Iris Lichen, Bear Spirit Jade Bile Potion, Memory Ointment, Perseus Eye, as well as Omen Mandrake Vines and Crystal Palm Fire Lotus and other magical plants throughout the entire southeastern quadrant."

Lady Irina said, "What's amazing is that if we can popularize these magical plants and potions you've developed, it can significantly strengthen the abilities of apprentice-level wizards in our southeastern quadrant. So I'm full of confidence about this."

"I'm even prepared to set up a special sales counter for your Augustus series products in every shop."

"I may not be good at magical levels, but I happen to have some talent in the commercial field." Lady Irina smiled. "Locke, what do you think?"

Locke thought for a moment. Since these projects had all been handed over to Teacher Halen Vera's network to maintain, Lady Irina probably couldn't cheat him.

Otherwise, she would be cutting herself off from Halen Vera's network. With her strength as a First Circle liquefaction wizard, she should actually be insufficient to open shops everywhere, and her connections weren't good enough either. She was also relying on Halen Vera's network to open shops everywhere.

Therefore, no matter what, Lady Irina couldn't possibly cheat him in this regard.

'Giving me a fixed sixty thousand magic stones per month, plus 10% of net profit, while I'm just a hands-off boss who doesn't have to do anything.' Locke calculated gains and losses in his heart. 'This really couldn't be better. It saves me a lot of trouble and doesn't require me to continuously pay costs in the future.'

'Moreover, the money earned will be quite a bit more than the current thirty-six thousand per month.'

'Even if I give Teacher Halen Vera's students twenty thousand magic stones per month, or even more, after I leave the southeastern quadrant, the magic stones I can obtain will be at least 40,000 to 50,000, far more than what I earn now.'

'Even in the future, when the business expands, I can extract 10% of net profit. And these operating costs don't need me to be responsible for either. So relatively speaking, it's quite reasonable.'

This situation occurred because Lady Irina had complete and mature distribution channels in hand, able to easily sell his products to more wizards.

Plus, his mass production of rare magical plants, Bear Spirit Jade Bile Potion, and some other products really had great popularization ability.

Therefore, after cooperating with Lady Irina, they could suddenly create so much additional value, enough for both to obtain huge benefits.

Locke carefully weighed it in his heart. Although he could still propose more favorable terms for himself, he thought about it and decided to forget it.

After all, he wouldn't even be in the southeastern quadrant. Even if he made a bunch of demands and Lady Irina agreed and signed, since he wouldn't be here, how could he verify specific accounts and know specific information?

Naturally, there were natural barriers between wizard lands, making travel inconvenient and distances very far. Without the help of Lady Irina and Teacher Halen Vera's network, after he left, he fundamentally couldn't possibly obtain a single penny from this.

At most, he'd just gain some fame.

Therefore, the current situation was already the most optimized scenario.

Locke asked Lady Irina for a contract, then recorded the contract on his gray mist stone tablet and sent it to Halen Vera's gray mist stone tablet. About ten minutes later, Halen Vera sent a message to both Lady Irina and Locke simultaneously.

The message sent to Locke said he could agree, but needed to modify the details.

The message sent to Lady Irina was that the income for students on Halen's side would be modified in the contract to be paid by Lady Irina, meaning Lady Irina would use her own 10% of earnings to pay, while Locke's side would fully enjoy sixty thousand magic stones per month and 10% of annual earnings.

Lady Irina smiled bitterly. "Locke, Teacher really dotes on you."

She calculated in her heart her future profit margin. Even so, her future profit space and conveniences brought by this in other aspects were still very large.

Locke's own distribution capabilities were limited, so his products in Chimera Market only had income of around thirty-six thousand magic stones per month. If developed by her, just in Chimera Market alone, the future could possibly reach one hundred thousand magic stones.

Or even more.

Because the war would intensify in the future, all industries related to war would see their value multiply several times, and future demand for magical plants and potions would also increase out of thin air.

So she definitely had profit to make.

Even if the operating costs were basically borne by her.

Future promotion and expansion would all be carried out independently by her alone.

But since the developer of these products was Locke, she had no choice but to, in a certain sense, work for Locke.

Lady Irina smiled bitterly and had shop employees immediately draft a new contract, then invited Locke to dine at Witch's Kitchen. "Locke, I really envy you wizards who can continuously develop these revolutionary products."

"These days, it's you developers who are popular. People like us are just working for you for free."

Locke smiled. "Senior, you're joking."

"In the future, Teacher Halen Vera and I will only take a portion of the earnings. Most of the earnings will still fall into your pocket."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to Witch's Kitchen, rented a private room for dining, and Lady Irina spent at least three hundred magic stones, ordering a huge array of Witch's Kitchen's most luxurious dishes to feast Locke.

At the dining table, Lady Irina said, "But that money of mine still has to be used to pay shop rent, employee income, and for various inspections by larger markets, as well as equipment costs purchased to deal with those inspections."

"Ah, you don't know the burden if you're not in charge. Last month alone, I spent over five thousand magic stones just to meet Sacred Tree Market's fire safety requirements, treating all the shops there with fire prevention facilities."

"Then this month, the holy masters of Virdantia University... those fanatics started suspecting that some of the products sold in my shops were made using undead creatures manipulated with forbidden necromancy magic, and want to fine me for it."

"I have so many sourcing channels for my shops. How can I possibly manage whether some people used necromancy magic in production? Tell me, aren't those holy masters' requirements very perverted? I've been so frustrated lately I could die."

Lady Irina was now a First Circle wizard like Locke, so Lady Irina had no airs in front of him and instead became very sentimental.

Completely different from the rather domineering Lady Irina that Locke had seen before.

Locke chatted and laughed with her, passing the time. After all, she was his biggest future collaborator in the southeastern quadrant, so he still needed to deepen their relationship a bit.

The two also added each other as bilateral connections on their gray mist stone tablets.

Lady Irina said to Locke, "By the way, after you go to another wizard land, you can still use the Nigervold Astrology System to contact me."

Locke looked at Lady Irina with confusion. "Didn't they say this system can only be used in the southeastern quadrant?"

Lady Irina gently bit into a unicorn milk cake, then mumbled, "What? Didn't expect you to be so honest, Locke. This doesn't match your fierce reputation spread outside at all."

"If you can't use the gray mist stone tablet outside the southeastern quadrant, just crack it and then you can use it."