Night, 431 Diagon Alley.
Locke sat in his bedroom, burning incense made from a mixture of badansi wood and Dragon Blood Leaf powder. He sat cross-legged, his mana fluctuations mimicking an ancient tree's heartwood as he performed Root Pulse Synchronization meditation.
Endless streams of elemental particles converted into mental energy, pouring back into his soul, but Locke frowned. Unlike his previous steady and powerful progress, this time when he performed the meditation technique, he felt his mental strength growth was too slow, almost as if there was no growth at all.
"After mental strength exceeds 200, each increase of 1 point becomes extremely difficult." Locke simply stopped meditating. "If I continue meditating , the efficiency is really too low. Can I improve 10 points of mental strength in a year?"
"Ordinary meditation techniques simply cannot support a first-class wizard apprentice in becoming a formal wizard."
Locke picked up a Rose Red Jade and began absorbing the ether elements inside this gem. This time the ether elements mixed with his mental strength, and the mental growth speed was slightly faster than meditating with ordinary meditation techniques, but not by much.
Locke also abandoned the idea of using Rose Red Jade to continue maintaining his mental strength growth speed.
His current mana purity and total amount were really too high, so the previously effective methods for improving mental strength had become weakly effective.
At this stage, learning spell models to passively improve mental strength and allow his mental strength to grow spontaneously was also virtually impossible, completely impossible.
"Never mind, Teacher Sophia will guide me next Wednesday." Locke simply gave up on improving his own mana, walked out of his bedroom into the study, and began designing the first bloodline separation potion for Shadow Leeches that he would design himself.
Draft after draft gradually took shape in his hands.
The next day, in the morning, after sleeping for half the night, Locke organized his clothes, gave instructions to his gray dwarf servant, then headed toward Chimera Trading Market with a bag of Wiregrass Bull Sinew seeds.
No matter what, having reached first-class wizard apprentice, the magical resources he needed would definitely be much, much more, dozens of times more than before.
Magic stones were definitely better the more you had.
So the business of selling synthetic plants needed to continue, and even expand in some way.
And Lijin Secret Language would be the first stop to establish his reputation as a breeding genius.
Chimera Trading Market, inside Lijin Secret Language.
When Locke walked into what seemed like a small garden with elegant vine boxes displayed on the shelves, he was surprised to discover that besides three customers and Yuri Burns, Lady Irina was also in the shop.
Lady Irina stood in the middle of the shop, looking around. "Manager Yuri, you've really impressed me lately. You've been doing very well recently."
"Good, remember to cultivate relationships with talented breeders. They are both our quality customers and our quality partners."
Lady Irina said meaningfully, "Especially since, Manager Yuri, neither you nor I are wizards in plant studies. For laypeople like us who want to continue this business, we inevitably need help from those excellent breeder customers."
"Therefore, we can give them the maximum profit concessions."
"Geniuses always deserve to get more."
Yuri Burns squeezed out some smiles on her aged face. She stood respectfully in front of Lady Irina, bowing her head, "Lady Irina, being able to work for you is already my honor. I will treasure all the advice you give me."
"I will find ways to maintain Lijin Secret Language for you, keeping it always in a leading position within Chimera Trading Market..."
"Respected Lady Irina, I have already listed several potential competitors recently and made strategies targeting them."
Lady Irina was very satisfied with this. "Manager Yuri, now I believe that hiring you was the right choice."
Yuri knew how to please a First Circle wizard boss.
For Lady Irina, was Lijin Secret Language important? Important and not important. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Lady Irina had dozens of shops in Chimera Trading Market, including shops with larger scales than Lijin Secret Language.
But the reason Lady Irina valued a small Lijin Secret Language so much was because Lijin Secret Language had once been the best magical plant shop in Chimera Trading Market.
For formal wizards, compared to the magic stones earned by Lijin Secret Language, this first-place reputation was more attractive to Lady Irina, who loved enjoying others' admiring gazes.
Especially since this was the number one magical plant shop within Lilith's Cottage.
In some aspects, it could even bring Lady Irina some relatively small invisible benefits.
Lady Irina turned around and saw Locke entering the shop.
As the behind-the-scenes owner of Lijin Secret Language and a First Circle transformation wizard, Lady Irina's gaze fell on the breeder's assistant badge and platinum star member badge worn on Locke's chest.
A shallow smile appeared on her face.
Lady Irina walked over, saying, "Augustine, when you last came to my shop, you were only a second-class wizard apprentice, and now you're already a first-class wizard apprentice."
"Truly promising at such a young age."
"I heard from my manager that you recently commissioned her to sell a new variety of magical vine. Keep up the good work. Lijin Secret Language was opened precisely for people like you."
Lady Irina patted Locke's shoulder.
Locke bowed to Lady Irina, saying, "Thank you for the praise, Lady Irina."
"This is mutually beneficial. I have also earned substantial magic stones through your shop. The previous Super Mandrake Vine was completed under the guidance of my mentor Witch Sophia, but today, I want to commission a second magical plant."
"This one I completed independently."
Locke turned to look at Yuri Burns, handing her the magical plant testing certification report that he had asked Witch Sophia to prepare for him yesterday.
"This is Wiregrass Bull Sinew, which can be used with the cantrip model Wild Grass Entanglement. The similar cantrip model Green Thicket Tangle can also be used in combination." Locke said, "My teacher, Witch Sophia, has already issued effect certifications for both spells."
Yuri Burns was already dumbfounded. She could never have imagined that the wizard apprentice she had picked up from overseas two years ago would develop such close ties with her.
Moreover, this wizard apprentice had been only a third-class wizard apprentice two years ago, but now was already a first-class wizard apprentice on equal footing with her, and his future prospects looked countless times brighter than hers.
Yuri Burns looked at Locke with complex feelings, but with Lady Irina present, she had to work first.
She quickly looked at the certification issued by Witch Sophia, then said to Lady Irina and Locke, "According to the records in this certification, using Wiregrass Bull Sinew will improve Wild Grass Entanglement's effect by 1.5 times, and can improve the more difficult and costly Green Thicket Tangle's effect by more than double."
"Not only that, if this is the case, all other related similar cantrip models can use Mr. Augustine's work, Wiregrass Bull Sinew, to enhance their power."
Yuri's eyes burned with enthusiasm.
Lady Irina looked at Locke with even more smiles, the gaze one gives to an excellent junior. "In that case, you two discuss it properly. I won't disturb your work."
"Locke, from now on you can also call me Lady Irina, no need to address me so formally as 'my lord.'"
Locke nodded slightly to Lady Irina, saying, "Very well, Lady."
Lady Irina smiled, turned, and gracefully walked out of the shop.
Locke looked at Yuri, "Senior Yuri, I just heard your boss say to give maximum concessions to excellent partners."
"I wonder, what price are you prepared to offer for Wiregrass Bull Sinew seeds?"
Yuri Burns looked at Locke with complex feelings, mixed with envy, even a trace of barely controlled jealousy, and enthusiasm for a business partner. "Augustine, please don't call me senior anymore. You can call me Yuri or Burns."
"As for the price, we need to sit down and discuss it properly."
"Your talent in the breeding field is truly impressive. You already have another excellent work out so quickly."