One week later, in the city of Ashgrah.
Lord Ashgrah led the city's residents and his clansmen to gather in front of the villa where Locke and Gabby were temporarily staying, wanting to express their gratitude.
Lord Ashgrah bowed to Gabby, who had stepped outside, and said, "Respected wizards, we have come on behalf of all the city's residents to thank you."
"Over this past week, no new cases of the illness have appeared, and those who were previously afflicted have gradually begun to recover."
"It's as if everyone has woken from a nightmare to find it was just a dream. The city of Ashgrah has come back to life."
Gabby gave a slight nod and replied, "Understood... but Senior Locke does not wish to be disturbed right now... Please return."
"Senior Locke says he appreciates your sentiments."
Lord Ashgrah opened his mouth as if to say more but hesitated. He glanced at the villa and, seeing that Locke had not come out, reluctantly gave up. He turned to persuade the lightly afflicted who had begun to recover not to disturb the esteemed wizards of Lilith's Cottage.
A little girl holding a bouquet of flowers suddenly shouted toward the villa where Locke was staying, "Thank you, Wizard! May the Light God bless you forever!"
She ran forward until Lord Ashgrah stopped her, then placed the bouquet on the ground.
Locke watched this scene from the villa's window. Through the glass, he waved at the little girl in greeting.
The girl giggled in response.
It wasn't that Locke was truly too busy to spare a moment for these commoners—there was simply no need. Moreover, there was a serious issue at hand.
Having just become a First Class Wizard Apprentice, he was constantly radiating Magic Pressure. If he came into contact with ordinary mortals, those with hidden heart conditions might, by unfortunate chance, die from the exposure.
The little girl called out to the villa, "Thank you, Wizard Augustine!"
The commoners of Ashgrah joined in their gratitude. "All thanks to Wizard Augustine!"
"In times of crisis, it's the wizards we must rely on. The monks in the city were utterly useless."
"Don't blame the monks—even the city's doctors were helpless against the plague. But within days of Wizard Augustine's arrival, we were all cured."
"With the wizards here, our hearts are at ease."
That afternoon, in the villa's reception room, Locke finally finished organizing his currently disordered Mana. He had regulated the surge of Mana brought on by his advancement, restoring it to order.
This was the reason he had remained in Ashgrah for a week.
Apart from the instability in his Mana caused by the Crimson Echo Potion, the rest of the explosive growth from his rank-up had been fully tamed.
Locke placed his palm on the Amethyst Matrix he had brought with him this time, and a number appeared: [220].
Locke couldn't help but marvel at how Teacher Sophia truly lived up to her reputation as a one-circle Potion Master. The Crimson Echo Potion she personally crafted had actually increased his Mana by a full 25 points.
Not all Crimson Echo Potions were of such quality. Those brewed by First-Class Wizard Apprentices—essentially Potion Master assistants—likely only had about half the potency of what he'd just consumed.
A high-quality Crimson Echo Potion naturally brought with it significantly higher advancement odds.
At the same time, Locke looked at his right hand, where only one Mandala Vine remained of the original three.
This was because during his week of Mana consolidation, he'd taken the opportunity to synthesize his three level-6 Mandala Vines into a single level-7 variant.
And fortune had favored him—this time a special synthesis formula had emerged: [Omen Level-7 Mandala Vine, a rare mutated variant among Mandala Vines that feeds on hostile intent. Can detect subtle hostility within a 100-meter radius, possesses the unique ability to automatically lock onto and attack targets based on detected hostility, while retaining all capabilities of the Invisible Mandrake Vine.]
[Additionally, the Omen Mandala Vine exhibits double the overall performance of its Invisible counterpart.]
[In natural environments, the mutation probability for this vine is merely one in ten thousand.]
Creating level-7 synthesized items required three full days of processing in the Horadric Synthetic Cube—a significant increase in synthesis time that made formula testing more challenging.
But considering the benefits—nearly doubling his lifespan upon becoming a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, granting him at least 200 years of life—this minor increase in synthesis time seemed trivial.
Examining the Omen Mandala Vine on his right hand, Locke noted the substantial changes in its level-7 form. The vine's leaves had thickened and enlarged considerably, each now roughly the size of an infant's palm.
Deep purple veins now covered both leaves and vine surface—far darker than the pale purple patterns of the Invisible variant, these new markings were nearly black in hue.
The main vine body had grown significantly thicker.
The number of Poison Berries produced by the vine had multiplied several times over. Using this enhanced Magical Plant for Poison Berry Catapult would now launch over twenty berries per volley, compared to the original five.
During this week, Locke had also taken advantage of Ashgra Mountain's diverse Wild Magic Plants to reconfigure the complementary Spell Poison for his [Poison Berry Catapult] Spell.
The original formula—a mixture of Poison Dart Frog, castor bean, and Blue-Ringed Octopus toxins—had been suitable for a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice.
Now as a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, Locke had temporarily created a new complementary poison for his Spell model using a blend of Corpse Soil Konjac fungus, Laughing Belladonna harvested from Ashgra Mountain, and Spasm Grey Mushrooms.
Moreover, he'd used the Synthetic Magic Cube to upgrade this specialized neurotoxic compound to level-7.
A First-Class Wizard Apprentice and a Level 7 Mandala Vine could withstand more potent spell poisons, which was why Locke had temporarily upgraded the spell poison he was using.
Although this improvised toxin was merely concocted by Locke based on some pharmacology knowledge he had picked up from Sophia the Witch, it wasn't entirely reliable and didn't bring out the full potential of the three original toxins.
However, on one hand, the fungal toxin from the Corpse Soil Konjac was inherently high-grade. On the other, Locke had synthesized this mixed spell poison to Level 7, artificially enhancing it several times over. As a result, this spell poison could be considered passable among First-Class Wizard Apprentices.
Locke named this self-formulated spell poison "Laughing Toxin."
This spell poison attacked the nerves, causing the victim's muscles to malfunction, forcing them into uncontrollable laughter and immobilizing them. In severe cases, the excessive muscle contractions combined with laughter could even prevent breathing, leading to death by suffocation.
At any rate, if this spell poison were applied to an ordinary Second-Class Wizard Apprentice, such an effect was highly likely.
Locke looked at the Level 7 Mandala Vine on his right hand and muttered, "It's more or less integrated. Once I return to Lilith's Cottage, I'll need to systematically upgrade the spell poison again and learn a higher-level cantrip model for Poison Berry Catapult to maximize the mana efficiency of a First-Class Wizard Apprentice."
"Similarly, the Level 7 Mandala Vine will need to be properly supplemented after returning to Lilith's Cottage headquarters."
"Once I'm back, I can complete the cantrip models for the Vine Frenzy series in one go."
"After returning, I'll also have to sign a new contract with Lilith's Cottage," Locke thought. "The relationship between a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and the academy is more complex, so they'll require additional agreements."
"At the same time, the academy offers a slew of benefits exclusive to First-Class Wizard Apprentices—private laboratories, independent positions, and even institutional rewards for achieving First-Class status within two years, among others..."
"One could say that only by becoming a First-Class Wizard Apprentice can one truly be considered a core force of the academy." Locke steadied his emotions. "Once I return, the Wire Tendon Grass can be sold to Lijin Secret Language immediately."
"Now that I'm a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, I no longer need to publish works under my teacher's name."
"Even if it draws some attention, I have enough strength to protect myself. Moreover, as a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, I can attempt to obtain a Breeder's license and become an independent breeder."
Locke murmured softly, "An independent, genius breeder inventing some apprentice-level new Magic Plants—while still remarkable—won't attract undue scrutiny."
"Once I get my Breeder's license, I might even sell the Invisible Mandrake Vine to Lijin Secret Language. After all, it's an obsolete Magic Plant anyway."
Locke stepped out of the room and called for Gabby. He said to her, "Junior, I'm returning to the academy."
"Would you like to come along?"
Gabby hesitated for a moment. Realizing she had nothing left to do alone in the Ashgla Mountains—and that the only reason she had stayed this long was to get closer to Locke, who had become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice at such a young age—she nodded.
Then she said, "Of course, sure. Senior Locke."
...
After bidding farewell to the grateful commoners of Ashgla City, Locke and Gabby boarded their respective hired carriages, heading back toward Lilith's Cottage.
After roughly two days, they left the remote mountainous region and entered the flat coastal plains of the southeastern corner.
Passing through a commoner town called Waterwheel Town, Locke sat in the carriage pulled by three Centaur coachmen and glanced at his right hand. The Omen Mandrake Vine coiled around it, originally marked with black-purple patterns, had now turned a deep crimson—so dark it was almost black.
That... was a warning.
As a rare Magic Plant, the Omen Mandrake Vine possessed a unique ability—it could sense hostility within a hundred-meter radius and fed on such malice.
Locke frowned, his gaze cold as he scanned outside the carriage. Ahead lay an empty country path, seemingly devoid of any abnormalities.
Had it not been for the alert from the Level 7 Mandrake Vine, Locke might not have noticed anything amiss.
"Someone harbors intense hostility toward me?" Locke quickly reviewed whether he had offended anyone in Lilith's Cottage. "I shouldn't have any enemies there."
"That foolish wizard family only gossips behind my back. Ever since I became a Breeder Assistant, I've been the butt of jokes for the past year, but none of them would hold such deep grudges against me."
"Never mind. Whoever it is, I'll just kill them. If someone still targets me despite my caution, then they all deserve to die."