Chapter 912
Williams' Plea for Help and Douglas's Treasure
Chapter 912 Williams' Plea for Help and Douglas's Treasure
Locke picked up the book, recalling all the archaeological magic recorded in the Wizard King's Codex, and racked his brains, but couldn't come up with a good solution.
He chanted the incantation and made a gesture towards the magic book, trying to scan for the negative energy particle field information hidden within it, but he found nothing; the negative energy particle field information on it had been completely removed.
Of course, Locke suspected that the negative energy particle field that remained on the book was not enough for him to cast the History Projection Spell or the History Recreation Spell.
All I can say is that this person is far too cautious.
Locke fell into thought, then held up the travelogue to Wizard Ackerman and said, "Then I'll take it with me."
The Ackerman troll wizard said, "Alright, I hope Locke can find out who did it soon. That would really be a big help to me."
Locke frowned, because this meant the trail had temporarily gone cold.
Locke's main body took the travelogue back, while his clone stayed behind to continue researching.
Three hours later, Locke searched through the library's materials but found no new information, neither about the region where the destroyed Black and White Grimoire might exist, nor any articles that could corroborate the travelogue he had just read.
Locke was deep in thought, but these were not difficult for him. When he first forged the Moon of Evolution, he spent even more time figuring out his first ultimate spell.
When he created the second great magic, he simply followed the original ideas of the power of Myster, combined with the study of the four seasons, and used the unique half-body talent of the dragon bloodline to take away the arrangements made by the Persepolis gods in the three cave planes for thousands of years, and only then did he forge the Tree of Prosperity.
Now, he is willing to spend more time thinking about how to forge his ultimate magic a second time.
This requires patience and composure.
Locke calmed down and began to search for information further. If it wasn't available here, he would check the libraries of other wizarding universities.
He couldn't even overlook the libraries of the lower-level colleges below Mount Jinmian; there might be useful information there.
"Using the Golden Spell to achieve atavism is my only goal now."
Locke's eyes were resolute.
Locke saw that someone had contacted him through the Water Hyacinth System. He took out the Ganoderma lucidum plant and found it was Williams. "Williams, what's up?"
Williams sent himself a message of good news.
"Teacher, thank you for the materials you gave me before. Because of the materials you gave me, plus some other lucky encounters, I was able to publish my first article in Zone 1 in just one month."
Locke asked, "Where was it sent?"
Williams said, "It's green grass and clouds."
“Teacher, thank you for your help. I haven’t let you down either. Because of this article, I’ve received an extra reward: I can enter a very high-level first-ring wizarding secret realm, the Valley.”
"I'm currently preparing, teacher. Do you have any instructions for me?"
Locke thought for a moment.
“No, Williams, you always know what you want to do. That’s good.”
Locke smiled. The emergence of this magical plant crystallization technology route, it seems, is not entirely a bad thing.
At least his student Williams benefited greatly from it.
Although the emergence of the magical plant crystallization technology route has brought many wizards in the True Knowledge Academy a wave of benefits, bringing them closer to me and allowing me to obtain the Golden Cup and publish articles in the first district, it seems like nothing out of the ordinary.
But I don't really need the limelight...
This is actually good for me right now.
Williams said, "Teacher, the reason I was able to publish an article in Zone 1 this time is because I completed the crystallization of the [Snake Plant]. Do you have more information on the crystallization technology route for magical plants?"
Locke replied, "No, that's not the case. I've been busy with other things lately, so I simply don't have the extra energy to focus on this technological path."
At the other end of the Water Hyacinth System, in the Tongmo Peach Garden Academy, Williams, who was in his office with five third-class wizard apprentices in front of him, was stunned.
In the sunlight, Williams pursed his lips and said, "So, my teacher didn't research this area. As expected of a second-ring archmage, just giving me some random things has actually helped my research."
The five third-class wizard apprentices exchanged furtive glances, seemingly unable to recover from the emotional impact of Williams' words.
Teacher Williams is already so amazing.
What kind of person is the teacher she's talking about?
Fear, as well as awe and bewilderment at the vastness of the wizarding world, were evident in their eyes.
For them, becoming a third-class wizard apprentice was originally an extremely honorable thing, but it turns out that becoming a third-class wizard apprentice is just the beginning.
Williams pondered for a moment, then asked Locke, "I'm sorry, teacher, I didn't know you hadn't entered this research direction. The further research I want to pursue now lacks the Frost Magic Mirror. In Tongmo Peach Garden Academy, there is only one Frost Magic Mirror in the entire academy, and it is controlled by the largest academic faction within the academy."
"Only by joining his team and working for them, or by having a prior connection with them, can one get a chance to use that Frost Mirror. It's very difficult for a wizard like me to get one. Although it's not impossible."
"Teacher, I would like to ask if you would allow me to use the Ice Magic Mirror of Mount Golden Crown. I know this request is excessive, but I can pay the magic stones required to use the Ice Magic Mirror and give you an equivalent copy."
Locke's clone frowned after seeing this message, because Williams' request, though seemingly easy to fulfill, was actually not so easy.
Since I usually use the Ice Mirror of the Institute of Truth, I can have priority access to the Ice Mirrors in the various laboratories under the Institute of Truth. It would be unreasonable for Williams, a wizard who has already left Mount Golden Crown, to use it.
All the large equipment at Jinmian Mountain has usage records.
While it's possible to force it, it's ultimately not a good idea.
However, this was ultimately his first official wizard student to graduate from his class.
It has special significance for me.
Locke thought for a moment and replied to her, "No need for that. I'll have Gregor go to your place and lend you one of my Ice Magic Mirrors."
My position in Group 2 is unique. I can use some equipment for free, especially things like the Ice Magic Mirror, which isn't a large piece of equipment.
Williams thanked himself, saying, "Thank you, teacher."
"Thanks to the teacher's help, otherwise I might not have been able to touch the Ice Magic Mirror for a year."
She sent me a thank-you image.
Locke paused for a moment, sent her a question mark, and then asked, "Tongmo Peach Garden is also a long-established advanced academy under Golden Crown Mountain, how come its experimental conditions are so rudimentary?"
Williams responded to himself, "The main reason is that the crystallization of magical plants is not very difficult; many first-level wizards can do it. So, everyone is now scrambling for key equipment like the Ice Mirror, wanting their people to conduct experiments in this area."
"Teacher, this is some data from my experiment; you might need it."
Locke received the data from the other party and glanced at the entire process of her crystallizing the tiger orchid. Locke watched the process very carefully.
He noticed that after the snake plant transformed into a crystal snake plant, it did retain its growth ability and seemed to still be a living magical plant. However, due to the limited conditions on Williams' side, she did not conduct many experiments on this part.
After all, this kind of research doesn't require her, an ordinary first-level wizard, to explore.
After reading it, Locke sent a message to Williams: "Not bad, Williams, you've improved very quickly."
Williams replied, "Thank you for the praise, teacher. Receiving your praise makes me even happier than winning a first-place paper. Teacher, why don't you explore this magical plant technology?"
Locke frowned and replied with a wry smile, "It's not that I don't want to go in, but this magical plant crystallization technology only appeared after I had already determined my future research direction, so it appeared too late. Besides, the route I'm thinking of may not be much worse than this one."
"For an individual, personal interests are more important. At least for me, there's no need to change my research goals. But Williams, you should continue your research; I fully support you."
Locke thought for a moment and sent her a message: "If you need any resources later, you can also come to me. I feel that your magic pressure has recently increased by 80 points, it seems that the positive feedback from this research is indeed good. Keep going."
"Williams."
Inside the office of Tongmo Peach Garden, Williams' face was slightly flushed as she looked at the Ganoderma lucidum plant in her hand.
Only after graduating from Mount Golden Crown did she realize just how accomplished the wizarding mentors she had encountered there truly were.
Only after she officially embarked on the same path as Locke did she realize just how vast the gap was between them.
At Mount Golden Crown, she misjudged the true, chasm-like gap in status between the two of them because she was Locke's student.
Jinmian Mountain...
Williams sighed. "Teacher, I will find a way to return to Golden Crown Mountain. Although it will be difficult."
This is indeed very difficult.
Because Tongmo Peach Garden is a high-level academy on Mount Golden Crown, but only one in a hundred wizards can be promoted from here to become a full-fledged wizard on Mount Golden Crown.
Moreover, even a formal wizard position in the Peach Garden of Demons would be highly sought after by other formal wizards.
Williams made up her mind. Right now, she had the powerful wizard Locke Augustine to rely on, which gave her a much brighter future than many of the formal wizards in Tongmo Peach Garden.
Only after leaving Jinmian Mountain did she realize how valuable it was to have powerful connections.
Right now, she's probably the only wizard among her colleagues who still has access to the Mirror of Ice.
When Williams looked up, she coughed and brushed the hair from her forehead. After so many years in the Peach Garden of the Demon, she had grown into a wise witch.
Williams addressed them, "Which of you three wants to take this further? If you want to take it further, you need to do something for me..."
History is a cycle.
When the three third-class wizard apprentices saw Williams talking to them, they were all terrified and suddenly went berserk.
“Mentor, I… am willing to do things for you.” “Mentor, I am willing too; I am more capable.”
Williams nodded expressionlessly and indifferently.
……
After reading Williams' research on the crystallization technology of magical plants, Locke knew that this technical route was indeed good, but unfortunately it had nothing to do with the ancestral evolution he was currently pursuing.
Any further thought I might have in this direction would be a waste of time.
However, I am indeed in a bit of trouble right now.
There is currently no breakthrough in my research direction of atavism.
Inside the library, Locke picked up the Ganoderma lucidum plant and contacted an old friend from his address book, an old friend from the Qionghua Enclave... Wizard Warwick.
Warwick the Wizard replied to his message quickly.
"Is there something you need, Locke?"
“My dear Locke, our last expedition to the Abyss Ruins was a great success, bringing me both fame and fortune. Moreover, we were very lucky back then. Now, the Abyss River has been significantly diverted due to the Starfield Sea's Demon Ascension Plan.”
"Many abyssal ruins were thus submerged in the River of the Abyss, and who knows how many years later they will be exposed to us again due to a change in course. What a tragedy. The River of the Abyss has been stable for tens of thousands of years, but it has undergone tremendous changes due to the Star Domain Sea's Demon Ascension Plan."
Locke was surprised to find that Warwick was already a second-circle wizard.
"Warwick, you've become a second-circle wizard?"
Warwick replied to his message: "Yes. I just became one this year. After I won the grand prize in the Starfield Sea with you guys last time, I received special training from the academy. The academy gave me a World Stone as a reward. With my previous huge gains, it's normal for me to become a second-circle wizard now, right?"
"It's a pity that my friend failed to become a second-circle wizard. He even suffered permanent damage to his soul due to the failure of his Great Magic Construct, which greatly reduced his mana, causing him to drop from a crystallized state to a liquefied state, and he probably won't have the chance in this lifetime."
Locke pondered for a moment, and realized that if an expert potion master spent a great deal of effort to repair his soul, it should be possible to restore his damaged potential.
However, Warwick's friend, the archaeology wizard he knew, shouldn't have this connection.
Warwick asked himself, "Locke, didn't you become a second-circle wizard too? And your magic is quite powerful. By the way, how is your senior, the witch Shirley, doing now?"
Locke remained silent for a moment.
Because I don't have any information about this senior student.
The witch Shirley had been a great help to him in the past, but unfortunately the path to magical advancement is cruel, and those who once walked this path are leaving one by one.
Finding companions on this path of pursuing truth is a rather difficult one.
Perhaps this is why he was able to form stable friendships with people like Edgar and Hussein.
Locke changed the subject, saying, "Mr. Warwick, I have something I need your help with this time."
He stated his purpose directly, because concealing it from the archaeological wizard was pointless and would only invite suspicion.
"I am searching for the whereabouts of the Black and White Grimoires."
Warwick reacted strongly, sending him a series of messages.
"What? You're looking for the Black and White Grimoires? Me too! Our academy doesn't have that kind of resource at all."
"The Black and White Codexes are only in the hands of a few major powers. Unless we become their slaves, there's no way they'll give them the Black and White Codexes to us. Do you have any information about the Black and White Codexes?"
“I’m looking for it too. Without the Black and White Codex, archaeological wizards can’t go any further.”
Locke replied, "I have a travelogue that records the whereabouts of a certain black and white grimoire, but I need more information. I would like to invite you over to discuss this with me. How long will it take? A month?"
Locke frowned. He needed to try to write a grant application, using the data from the Golden Spell given to him by the Russell Throne, combined with his achievements and data from his ancestral evolution, and some additional experiments, all without having made a breakthrough in the key direction.
However, if one can achieve a key breakthrough before submitting the grant application, this will undoubtedly increase the chances of the application being approved.
Especially under the impact of this research route on the crystallization of magical plants.
But if Warwick doesn't arrive for another month, his plans will undoubtedly be affected.
To his surprise, Warwick seemed even more anxious than he was, immediately declaring, "I've been tomb raiding in the Three Swamps lately..."
He immediately retracted the statement above.
“I’m currently doing archaeological work in the Three Swamps. Wait a minute, I can get from the Thunder Swamp Lowlands to your Cloud Swamp Wetlands in a day at most.”
“I recently opened a tomb called Lei Wang Da Jun. It turned out to be a fake tomb.”
Locke quickly looked up information about this so-called Thunder Lord and found that he was a famous wizarding lord from a despotic era who possessed thunder magic that was leading the school of magic at that time. He had never been defeated before his death and is still regarded as a spiritual idol by wizards specializing in thunder magic.
Locke immediately sent him the information he had obtained and promised him that if he could find the Black and White Grimoire with his help, he could keep it for a period of time.
This undoubtedly gave Warwick a huge spur.
Locke waited a while, and after Warwick hadn't replied, he asked him, "So, do you have a solution?"
"Don't you have any other solutions?"
Warwick sent himself a message.
"Although I don't know why you're looking for the author of this travelogue, or what it has to do with the Black and White Grimoire, I... do have a way. The Abyss Werewolf's Eye of Wisdom has the power to discern origins. You've forgotten, I once used my Eye of Wisdom to see you."
"If I simply shine my wisdom into this travelogue, I might be able to find the person who wrote it."
"Alright, wait for me. I'll be there within a day. You're still at Golden Crown Mountain, right?"
Locke gave him a positive message.
"Yes, I am still at Mount Jinmian."
Locke never expected that the turning point would come from one of his former business partners.
Yes, the Abyssal Werewolf's Eye of Wisdom is a divine insight skill from the Abyss side, and it can indeed help to discern the origin of that travelogue.
Locke was about to leave the library with a joyful heart when he met Douglas, who was hesitating, at the library entrance.
Douglas seemed very hesitant, wondering whether to go into the library.
At that moment, his eyes lit up slightly when he saw Locke.
Locke asked, "You wanted to see me? Douglas, what can I do for you?"
At this moment, the Witch King Lagmamon in Douglas's mind spoke up: "Don't hesitate any longer. Tell Locke about the treasure of Mount Golden Crown immediately. I originally thought he wouldn't win the Golden Cup so easily, but things didn't go as I expected."
“If you keep delaying, I’m afraid it will become increasingly difficult to bring it up. Just tell him directly.”
Douglas was filled with unease.
"But teacher, the brandy incident has left me terrified. If I tell Senior Locke about the Second Ring Treasure, he'll..."
"Human hearts are unpredictable."
The Witch-King Lagmamon spoke in his mind: "Douglas, after all this time, can't you still trust Locke Augustine's character?"
Douglas was speechless.
Because it was his teacher, the Witch King, who warned him that he must never spread this information, and it was also his teacher who told him that people's hearts are unpredictable.
After all that fuss, it seems like he was just imagining things.
Lagmamon the Wizard King said, “Augustine and Brandy are completely different. Locke is a true gentleman. And now, the only option is to invite him for help. Otherwise, how can a first-ring wizard like you ask other second-ring wizards for help without worrying about being eaten?”
Douglas finally mustered up his courage and said to Locke, "Boss Locke, I want to tell you that I have the coordinates to an ancient treasure. I want to share it with you."
Locke glanced at him, then gestured for him to be quiet.
"This isn't the place to talk business. Let's go to my dorm."
"Come with me."
Locke walked out of the library.
At this moment, Douglas was startled.
Because if it were Locke's dormitory, it would be his territory.
The Witch-King Lagmamon urged in his mind, "Don't worry. Given Locke Augustine's character, he shouldn't attack you for such a small benefit."
"Follow them."
Douglas gritted his teeth, still choosing to trust the Witch King and Locke, and followed them.
In Locke's dormitory, Locke saw that the other party had taken out a treasure map.
His expression was strange.
"You mean the treasure is hidden in the roots of the Black Hole Witch Peach?"
Douglas nodded firmly and said, "Yes. The location for the Black Hole Witch Peach was chosen based on the special environment of the treasure's location."
(End of this chapter)