Locke opened Green Grass Cloud Marsh, found his two articles in this monthly journal, and also briefly scanned through other First Circle wizards' articles in the monthly journal to see if there was anything he needed.

According to Green Grass Cloud Marsh's rules, in the month when one's submission was accepted, they would send over a copy of the magazine, considered a benefit the journal gave to wizards whose submissions passed.

"As expected, most of the wizards on here all come from Cloud Marsh Wetland's seven major top-tier wizard organizations, and some are from Cloud Marsh Wetland's ten major top-tier shop alliances, researchers within research institutes opened by shop alliances."

"Then the remaining less than a quarter of articles come from wizards from Cloud Marsh Wetland's hundreds of medium-scale wizard organizations. As for articles from wizards in Cloud Marsh Wetland's small wizard organizations... at least in this issue, there isn't a single one."

"In Cloud Marsh Wetland, as long as one goes to a local small wizard organization, they're basically far from publishing in Zone 1, perhaps even Zone 2 would be beyond their reach."

Locke sighed.

That's why he needed to come to the Origin Academy. It represented a higher starting point and gave young First Circle wizards like himself without backgrounds an excellent platform.

Locke flipped through the magazine and discovered one article that actually gave him great inspiration. It was written by breeder Weir Collins from a senior Origin Academy at the Rose Council, about the mechanism by which using Type 3 narcissus suppressant could turn multi-headed roses into double-headed roses.

Locke quickly finished reading this article. As a breeder and potion master, he quickly realized he could use Type 3 narcissus suppressant as the core material, utilizing the core materials, secondary materials, auxiliary materials and peripheral materials in potion studies to formulate a set of potions that could help his Hydra become a Three-Headed Snake.

Although it required experimentation, with his current potion studies level trained through the Feathered Serpent Pavilion's ladder, he could indeed try it.

Combining potion studies and breeding studies methods, he could create potions that could induce the Hydra magical plant to undergo plant essence mutation.

Locke placed this issue of the magazine into his star ring. "Finally there's a possibly achievable direction. For the needed materials, perhaps I can shamelessly go to Arthas's industrial park and ask for them. What if they can give them to me?"

"This could save approximately 100,000 magic stones in expenses."

"Let's go hire first-class wizard apprentices first."

Locke left his dormitory.

...

Dragon Blood Market Castle second floor. Locke walked into a shop called [Scholar's Intermediary] and found the shop quite simple, with only a desk, a stool, a magic lamp, and a white-bearded wizard.

At the same time, there was also a wizard he had seen once before, also from Yekaterina's senior Origin Academy, Wizard Griffin.

When Wizard Griffin looked up and saw Locke, he was stunned for a moment, then very unnaturally turned his head away.

At the same time, that white-bearded First Circle liquefaction stage wizard shopkeeper seemed extremely irritable, belonging to the type who had been forcibly suppressing anger, but at this moment finally couldn't suppress it anymore.

"No, I have a small shop here. I really don't have anyone who can help you complete your Origin Academy Tier 1 project funding."

"If we had people who could do it, would we need you to go to the Origin Academy? Couldn't we go to the Origin Academy ourselves?"

"I'm just an ordinary First Circle liquefaction stage wizard with local origins. I can help you write small articles at most, help you do small projects at most, but I really can't help you."

"Moreover, I don't have anyone here who can help you."

Locke glanced over the current situation with confusion.

Obviously, to force a First Circle liquefaction stage wizard to be this angry at a First Circle crystallization stage wizard, his colleague Wizard Griffin must have truly made unreasonable demands he couldn't fulfill.

Griffin coughed awkwardly several times and said, "I was just asking you. Since you can't do it, you can't do it."

Griffin nodded at Locke, saying, "Researcher Augustine, you also came to hire wizards from the Universal Knowledge School?"

Locke nodded and said, "I saw outside that this shop says it can recommend first-class wizard apprentices who specialize in writing articles. I have some articles that need to be written for Zone 2. The experiments are all done, the key data is also available, I'm just lacking someone to write the articles."

That white-bearded old wizard's eyes immediately lit up. "Our shop is good at this. I have many first-class wizard apprentice students in universal knowledge studies."

"They can help you write. As long as you pay, you don't need to be listed on the articles. Of course, this way they can only help you write, they definitely don't have the ability to revise themselves."

While speaking, the white-bearded old wizard kept looking at Wizard Griffin.

Wizard Griffin felt somewhat embarrassed, coughed once, then said to Locke, "I enrolled three years earlier than you and am currently doing Tier 1 Origin Academy project funding. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, Locke. Currently I've indeed encountered some problems. This project just can't be completed no matter what."

"So, I can only try every method possible."

Obviously, what Wizard Griffin meant by trying every method possible was finding external help.

However, Locke had nothing to say about this kind of thing. If he could really pull in people to help him complete it without needing to list their names, that would also be his own ability.

Locke nodded understandingly. "Mm, everyone has it tough."

"I'm also too busy myself, so I came over to hire a few first-class wizard apprentices to help me publish articles."

Wizard Griffin breathed a sigh of relief, taking the way out Locke gave him. "Right? When I entered Golden Crown Mountain, I originally thought I could accomplish great things. To be honest, I even unrealistically wanted to obtain special-grade funding and a sub-project under Mentor Yekaterina."

"But now, I'm stuck on Tier 1 funding, unable to move. Sigh, now I only hope I can finish this Tier 1 funding before leaving the station. Then my Origin Academy journey would be considered complete."

Wizard Griffin sighed. "People, the most important thing is to have self-awareness."

"Colleague Locke, I've already recognized reality."

"I only hope to finish the Tier 1 project funding."

"I don't dare hope for special-grade funding anymore."

Locke frowned, sensing something wasn't right. "But you still have two years. In the time ahead, you could finish the Tier 1 funding at any time. If so, you still have a chance to push for... special-grade funding and sub-projects under key priority topics..."

Wizard Griffin looked at him deeply, as if seeing his past self in Locke, while treating himself as Locke's future.

He sighed. "As expected, every researcher who enters a senior Origin Academy initially has unrealistic ideas."

He smiled bitterly. "You're thinking too beautifully about the future, and too simply. As your senior, let me tell you something. Don't trust our mentor, Witch Yekaterina, too much."

A flash of fear crossed his eyes. "I'm not saying the Throne isn't good, but rather, when you're within the Throne's cultivation range, you will indeed be very happy."

"But the Throne is changeable. She is the sun in the sky, and we are the common masses on the ground sheltered by her. You can't always expect that sun in the sky to eternally favor you."

Wizard Griffin sighed. "We're not that important. We far overestimated our own position, overestimated our own talent."

Locke frowned.

Wizard Griffin seemed to have suffered a severe blow. He had come to the Origin Academy more than three years before Locke, so Locke didn't know exactly what had happened that could make such a wizard genius's mindset become like this.

However, from the fact that he was looking for outside wizards to do his own project, one could know how much pressure he was under.

Wizard Griffin said to Locke in a low voice, "The difficulty of obtaining sub-projects under key priority topics from Throne Yekaterina is far higher than you think."

"Moreover, the threshold for obtaining special-grade funding is also higher than you think. You don't know anything yet, right? Oh right, you just arrived, so you don't know the gap and threshold involved."

Wizard Griffin, like a well-meaning senior, advised Locke, "Let me tell you, the prerequisite for obtaining special-grade funding is that you're a Second Circle wizard doing Second Circle level research projects."

Locke frowned. "Second Circle wizard?"

"But everyone in the Origin Academy is a First Circle wizard..."

Wizard Griffin smiled and said, "As far as I know, those researchers in the senior Origin Academies of Groups 1 and 2, and some minority researchers in ordinary Origin Academies of the first three groups, they've already become Second Circle wizards."

"Special-grade funding is something we First Circle stage wizards shouldn't even think about. The Origin Academy's recruitment requirements are still only becoming First Circle liquefaction before age fifty, but look, which liquefaction stage wizard can truly enter the Origin Academy?"

"Similarly, the true entry threshold for special-grade funding projects has long ceased to be the crystallization stage, but Second Circle! Only Second Circle projects can obtain special-grade funding from the Three Marsh Lands."

"The competition is this intense." Wizard Griffin said, "But let alone special-grade funding, even Tier 1 funding has long been incredibly competitive. I might not even be able to finish Tier 1 funding. By the way, how far have you gotten with your Origin Academy funding?"

Locke said, "I just applied for and received Tier 2 funding."

Wizard Griffin raised an eyebrow, "Then keep working hard. Future funding will become harder and harder to do. The Origin Academy always starts easy then becomes difficult."

"The truly difficult parts are still ahead!"

"I've been thoroughly beaten into submission. My original dream was to go to the Star Domain Sea, but now my dream is just to be able to stay in Cloud Marsh Wetland, and I'd be satisfied."

"Moreover... in the future you'll become increasingly short on money." Wizard Griffin said, "You'll discover you need money to do scientific research, you need money for your students to advance, you and your students need money to participate in competitions, you need money to purchase equipment yourself, you need even more massive amounts of money to advance to Second Circle..."

"Money, money, money... I've never been this short on money before. I'm being driven crazy by money."

"I never imagined I'd be this short on money. Advancing to Second Circle even requires conquering a medium-scale plane. These days, which wizard organization would directly give you a medium-scale plane..."

Wizard Griffin sighed. "Locke, I wish you good luck in the future."

"Currently you only see Cloud Marsh Wetland's benefits, but haven't seen Cloud Marsh Wetland's terror. This is the Three Marsh Lands, where countless geniuses gather, very close to the Star Domain Sea. We geniuses, who knows how many of us will be buried here."

"You haven't even seen the tip of Cloud Marsh Wetland's iceberg. This place... can devour geniuses."

Before walking out the shop door, Wizard Griffin sighed, "I hope you prepare yourself mentally early, otherwise today's me is tomorrow's you."

After he left, the white-bearded old wizard looked around cautiously, saw he'd gone far, then said to Locke, "Customer, don't take what he said to heart. I've seen many people like him. They're purely people whose own mentality collapsed, who then want to drag more people down."

"To prove it's not their own personal problem."

"I'm called George."

"You can call me Old George. How many first-class wizard apprentices do you want?"

Locke shrugged his shoulders. At least during his conversation with Griffin, he obtained two important pieces of information. First, special-grade funding actually required Second Circle wizards and Second Circle level research to possibly obtain.

Obtaining this information in advance was very important and would change many of his plans.

It seemed he indeed needed more and more money.

Without money, let alone doing scientific research, even advancing to Second Circle wizard would be impossible.

But fortunately this was Golden Crown Mountain. There were abundant First Circle level wizard secret realms here, and also many channels to obtain opportunities to enter First Circle wizard secret realms, plus large amounts of resources needed for advancing to Second Circle wizard were provided.

So, although the situation had changed and obtaining special-grade funding was more difficult, for him there were still opportunities to overcome it.

He just truly needed to hurry.

Moreover, it now seemed he truly needed to obtain more funding, using funds from horizontal projects to support his vertical projects.

Hopefully, his Hydra's sales would be decent.

So he truly needed to quickly create the envisioned Three-Headed Snake.

The second point was that Witch Yekaterina's attitude toward a genius researcher seemed to have a critical point. Once a wizard's performance exceeded this critical point, Witch Yekaterina's attitude would likely undergo huge changes.

However, he didn't know the specific changes, because that was just Griffin's personal statement.

Locke nodded at Old George and said, "I know, I won't be influenced by him. Old George, how much does it cost per month to hire a first-class wizard apprentice from universal knowledge studies here?"

Old George said, "Not much, we're just making a living. One thousand magic stones per month."

"You can also hire me. I can also write some articles and help you revise projects slightly. But I charge ten thousand magic stones per month."

Locke nodded. "Then I'll hire one first-class wizard apprentice from universal knowledge studies first. Have them come find me at my dormitory. This is my address... here are one thousand magic stones. Let's sign a contract."

"Can they arrive at my dormitory this afternoon? I hope to have them publish some Zone 2 articles as soon as possible."

Publishing Zone 2 articles could earn him many contribution points and exchange for large amounts of paid materials from the library.

In Cloud Marsh Wetland, publishing Zone 3 and Zone 4 was completely equivalent to padding one's credentials, but Zone 1 and Zone 2 could be published.

Most wizards published Zone 2 mainly not to add to their resume, but to obtain contribution points and accumulate contributions.

Although Zone 2 was small gains, accumulated together, it was still a considerable amount.

Old George smiled and said, "Of course. As long as you're willing, customer, they can report by this noon. I'll pick a reliable student for you. However, our first-class wizard apprentices all come from small wizard organizations, so their level definitely isn't as good as the first-class wizard apprentices from your Golden Crown Mountain..."