One week later, daytime.

Locke walked into the castle where the Origin Academy was located and entered the public laboratory. At that time, Freya, Mason, Barrett and others were all busy.

Therefore, Locke seized the opportunity to apply to Wizard Kelt to use the Sunlight Divine Mirror and analyzed a natural magic structure component.

After coming out from the Sunlight Divine Mirror, Locke secretly calculated the current progress in his mind. During this time, he was still doing preliminary experimental data, so he discovered another unknown natural magic structure component and three new symbiotic relationships between bromeliad magical plants and magical creatures.

However, the specific work situation still required waiting for the three researchers in his team to arrive at their workstations. Only after he held a brief meeting with them could he know.

At the same time, while Locke sat at his workstation organizing materials, he suddenly saw a researcher from Group 4 bringing a Golden Crown Mountain lecturer mage from another garden (academy).

Locke glanced over with confusion. Because there were resource competition relationships among Witch Yekaterina's six groups, to avoid suspicion, people from different groups rarely communicated with each other normally.

But today, unexpectedly, someone from Group 4 and a formal wizard from Golden Crown Mountain had actually come to find him.

The researcher from Group 4 greeted Locke, "This is Researcher Augustine, Mr. Garfield."

Wizard Garfield greeted Locke in a friendly manner, saying in a low voice, "Hello, I'm a lecturer mage within Golden Crown Mountain's breeder academy. You can call me Garfield."

"I'm also a staff member of Golden Crown Mountain's breeder competition first round competition committee office."

Locke nodded. "Wizard Garfield, may I ask what the matter is?"

That researcher from Group 4 had already left.

At the same time, Wizard Garfield said to Locke in a low voice, "It's like this. Gregor and Williams are both Wizard Augustine's students, right? Our office has already received the flying magical plant breeding materials they submitted."

Locke nodded. He had indeed had his two students submit competition materials yesterday. The academy's internal competition didn't require producing actual objects, only submitting material reports.

With Locke's current breeding studies level, he could indeed immediately see their level from the breeding materials these apprentices submitted.

So, apprentice-level breeder competitions only required submitting materials for the first two rounds. Only the third round required submitting actual objects.

Locke said, "Is there a problem? Is just a matter between apprentices worth Wizard Garfield specially making a trip to the Origin Academy?"

Wizard Garfield smiled bitterly and said in a low voice, "Our competition committee looked at the materials your two students submitted and all think that from the materials' perspective, they're very good. But one academy has limited apprentice slots that can participate in the second round association-level breeder competition. There can only be five people."

"Our competition committee finds it very difficult. So, could you have one of your students withdraw from the competition?"

"We're thinking that Wizard Augustine having one student able to enter the second round competition is already very impressive. Within the Origin Academy, being able to help students obtain competition slots is already a very excellent wizard mentor. But the problem is, within our breeder academy and your Origin Academy, there are many other wizard mentors' students who want to compete..."

A flash of embarrassment crossed Wizard Garfield's face. "It's hard to satisfy everyone. We must consider the balanced distribution of benefits."

"Especially since there are three Second Circle wizards' first-class wizard apprentice students who are also competing. We can't just let them not get a spot, right? That would be too disrespectful to those Second Circle wizards."

"So, we hope you can persuade one student to voluntarily give up the competition."

"I've looked at your two students' materials. I think that student Gregor's comprehensive ability is somewhat lacking. You could persuade him to give up competing, while that student Williams is indeed very excellent..."

Locke coldly glanced at him.

Obviously, the other party came to find him because according to normal competition procedures, it was very difficult to find an excuse to eliminate his two students.

The reason was very simple. The materials he gave his two students to participate in the competition were all his own materials from developing the First Circle magical plant Large Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow. How excellent the Large Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow was, he could appreciate throughout his journey.

Anyway, he had never suffered a loss with flying magical plants. Presumably the Large Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow could fight well in Cloud Marsh Wetland too.

Then the development materials for the Large Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow created from nothing, one could imagine how rare they were. Naturally, Gregor and Williams, who obtained these materials, could each produce a perfect competition answer under his guidance.

Faced with this answer sheet, obviously Golden Crown Mountain's competition committee was under great pressure.

If two students of a Golden Crown Mountain researcher took up two-fifths of Golden Crown Mountain's competition slots, that would be very troublesome.

But wanting to break the rules and eliminate Locke's two students was also very troublesome. The reason was that Locke had Witch Yekaterina behind him, and Witch Yekaterina was a major member of Golden Crown Mountain's Academic Committee.

Moreover, Golden Crown Mountain's middle management all knew about the struggle among the four major forces lurking behind Golden Crown Mountain. Locke was also a member of that society, a preliminary candidate for the Academic Committee.

Then, directly running into the Academic Committee's muzzle on this matter would be quite unwise.

Thus, the competition committee's only choice was to proactively send a First Circle crystallization wizard staff member to negotiate with Locke.

Wizard Garfield said in a low voice, "This is Golden Crown Mountain's unspoken rule. It doesn't necessarily have any problems. Wizard Locke, I hope you can understand. For our competition committee group, we definitely hope our students can win first place in the association-level competition."

"And Second Circle wizards' students, their potential is obviously greater. We also hope more to see five students from five different mentors... You also know, resources are tight, slots are scarce..."

Locke looked at him coldly. "Are you finished? I still need to meet with my team members later. I'm very busy with work, so could you please leave?"

Locke didn't care at all about offending him.

Before Locke entered Golden Crown Mountain, Director Morrison had told him not to be afraid of offending people, because at Golden Crown Mountain, every position had someone filling it. On your first day, you had already offended people.

If one was afraid of offending people and proactively gave up one's own interests, that would be too foolish.

It was as if by not fighting for any benefits, you wouldn't offend people.

Unless he left Golden Crown Mountain, otherwise he couldn't possibly not offend people.

Moreover, he was also a candidate from the Academic Committee's faction. There was really no need to defer to a Golden Crown Mountain lecturer mage.

He had his two students participate in the competition to let them gain progress in the competition while obtaining resources.

Since his two students could obtain competition slots, as their mentor, why would he need to yield?

There was no such logic.

Wizard Garfield said in a low voice, "They're just two students. Students have low insight and are easy to fool. Wizard Locke, you're making this very difficult for me."

"The competition committee can apologize to you. As an apology, we'll give you a magic crystal card. This is the Origin Academy's one month salary."

Locke glanced at him with surprise, simultaneously realizing that Golden Crown Mountain implemented a salary confidentiality system, so he definitely didn't know that Golden Crown Mountain actually gave him a living subsidy of 20,000 magic stones per month.

However, this wasn't the key point. No matter how short on money he was, he definitely wouldn't take 10,000 magic stones seriously.

Locke coldly glanced at Wizard Garfield, then discovered that Witch Mason and the others had already arrived at their workstations.

He directly stood up and proactively greeted the three. The three each responded to him.

Witch Mason looked at Locke curiously. "What is this colleague from the breeder academy doing at our Origin Academy?"

Locke said, "Nothing, just telling me some nonsense."

Witch Mason sensed Locke's coldness toward him. Instantly they also made their own stance, looking at this wizard with indifference in their eyes.

Wizard Garfield knew he had messed up.

He hadn't expected Locke to be this tough. Generally speaking, weren't researchers who had joined their Golden Crown Mountain for less than half a year supposed to be very easy to talk to and easy to fool?!

Wizard Garfield felt somewhat like getting angry, but thinking that this was the Origin Academy's territory, if he dared get angry here, he probably really couldn't get anything good.

Moreover, thinking of the background behind the other party, he felt he really had no good way to deal with Locke.

Unless their competition committee office's Second Circle wizard director had an issue with Locke, but their director was an old fox. How could he possibly let himself fall into this kind of predicament?

Even if things developed later and something went wrong, it would definitely be them, these First Circle stage young lecturer mages, who went out to take responsibility. How could there be logic for letting the old seniors take responsibility?

Moreover, Locke likely still had the Academic Committee standing behind him.

The situation was even more special.

The Academic Committee's academic powers were no less than the Council of Elders' administrative powers, while his backing was the Executive Patrol Group.

The Patrol Group could only protect itself.

This matter was originally their office's fault. To balance various interests, they wanted to violate some academic ethics, through private contact, to see if Locke was easy to talk to and could proactively yield, sacrificing his own interests to help them maintain the so-called balance.

Therefore, Wizard Garfield at this moment could only smile bitterly at Locke and say, "Wizard Locke, you misunderstand me."

"All right. Since you're not interested in my proposal, I'll leave first."

Wizard Garfield smiled bitterly in his heart.

Encountering this situation, he really had no good solution. Not handling things according to the rules, the Academic Committee behind Locke might very likely pursue it afterward. Handling things according to the rules, the competition materials Locke's two students produced absolutely couldn't possibly fail to obtain competition slots.

Wizard Garfield at this moment instead felt some admiration for Locke in his heart, no longer having prejudice toward this wizard from the outside world.

Before leaving, he curiously glanced at Locke. From the completeness of the materials those two students submitted, Locke's hands probably held a very impressive large-scale project for First Circle flying magical plants.

Generally speaking, wizards who came from outside wizard lands very rarely had such large projects in hand, and it was even rarer to see them unhesitatingly share them with their own students.

This was very rare.

Wizard Garfield sighed and could only leave.

Soon, he left the Origin Academy castle, walked across half of Golden Crown Mountain, and came to the castle where Golden Crown Mountain's breeder academy was located. He went up to the third floor and entered the breeder competition office.

A wizard in the office immediately asked him, "How was it? You should have persuaded Wizard Augustine, right? It's just a small matter between two apprentices. I think Wizard Augustine will give our office some face."

Wizard Garfield smiled bitterly. "Persuaded? I almost got glared to death by him. I angered him. No wonder I heard that in the Land of Six Towers and the southeastern quadrant, he's called the Eye Demon Wizard."

"You don't even know how strong this wizard's aura of killing intent is, how great his presence is."

The deputy director immediately looked over. "What? You didn't persuade Wizard Augustine?"

Surprise showed in the deputy director's eyes. "Very rare. A researcher newly joined to Golden Crown Mountain has the guts to be this bold, completely unafraid of offending people. I thought he'd be easy to handle."

"What kind of nickname is Eye Demon Wizard?"

Wizard Garfield said, "I looked up his materials before. Supposedly during his apprentice stage, he personally killed over a hundred black wizard apprentices from a wizard academy in front of a formal black wizard, earning him a nickname from the southeastern quadrant's black wizards, called the Eye Demon Wizard."

"Later, during the black and white wizard war in the southeastern quadrant, in front of a First Circle crystallization black wizard, he personally brutally killed a First Circle ordinary black wizard, becoming fiercely notorious from then on." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Oh, right. In the Land of Six Towers, he's also connected to the death of a First Circle crystallization wizard. Supposedly that First Circle crystallization wizard committed suicide..."

At this time, the wizards in the office had stopped talking.

The deputy director, a First Circle crystallization stage wizard, swallowed. "First Circle crystallization wizard... suicide? How can these two terms be connected together?!"

Wizard Garfield said, "Supposedly, that Eye Demon Wizard and that bloodline studies wizard entered a wizard secret realm, then the person who came out was only him."

"Then, after investigation by the local White Wizard Association, they proved that First Circle crystallization wizard belonged to suicide. And this Eye Demon Wizard was completely innocent."

The wizards in the office all sucked in a breath of cold air.

What kind of ruthless person was this?

Many of the white wizards in the office diligently did experiments and took on projects day after day. At most they engaged in some office politics. Who could have such rich experiences?

At this time, the deputy director wizard frowned. "Hearing you say this, I indeed feel this Eye Demon Wizard is really... somewhat fierce."

"This guy doesn't sound like a white wizard, but more like a black wizard. He actually has a First Circle crystallization wizard's life on his hands, and just stayed in a wizard secret realm with him, then he committed suicide?"

"The Ethics Review Committee still can't find problems with him."

At this time, the wizards in the office all became somewhat nervous. This indeed sounded like a very difficult wizard to provoke.

Wizard Garfield said, "Deputy Director, where's the director? Now we need the director to come out and make a decision."

The deputy director spread his hands. "The director went to Seven-Colored Nursery to give lectures. Before he left, he specifically instructed us to handle this matter well."

Wizard Garfield was somewhat speechless.

Good heavens, the leader directly threw the thorny problem to them, then ran away.

Letting them decide themselves.

Wizard Garfield opened his mouth with difficulty, "How many days is the director going to lecture? If he comes back in a few days, there's still time to handle this matter."

The deputy director blinked. "He didn't say a specific time. I estimate that whenever we people in this office finish handling it, that's when he'll come back."

"All along, hasn't the director always had this personality..."

The wizards in the office's mouths twitched.

The deputy director said, "Forget it. We can only handle things according to the rules. Are we really going to hand our own leverage to their Academic Committee? As for what happens afterward, whether anyone has opinions, I have no solution either."

"I hope our office's threshold won't get trampled to pieces by those Second Circle wizards."