627: Do You Want Grace, or Death?
After Locke left, Witch Catherine looked at Douglas, the second person to be brought out of the Wizard Prison by the Second Ring Demon Hunter and escorted into the office.
When Douglas saw Witch Catherine, his eyes lit up, like a man in a desperate situation seeing his hope.
Witch Catherine said, "I've seen your interview materials. Unfortunately, your abilities still do not meet the requirements of Golden Crown Mountain, which is why you were confined in the Wizard Prison."
"But considering you helped my student, I am willing to give you a chance. I will let you atone for your crimes by serving as my teaching assistant at Golden Crown Mountain."
"This way, you can leave the White Wizard Association's Wizard Prison. Are you willing? Do you want my grace, or death?"
At this moment, Douglas felt as if fate was playing a trick on him. In this past week, he had first gone to the Wizard Court to be judged by the Holy Masters, and then he had gone to that Wizard Prison, which was comparable to a purgatory.
He never wanted to return to that terrifying magic-less prison environment again. Just when he almost thought he would spend the rest of his life in prison and that the Witch King within him was not reacting at all, and he was on the verge of despair, Witch Catherine suddenly sent a Demon Hunter to the Wizard Prison to bring him out.
This caused Douglas to feel a great deal of gratitude and awe toward Witch Catherine, who was a powerful Throne Wizard.
Douglas's eyes burned with fervor as he bowed to Witch Catherine. "Lord of the Throne, perhaps you cannot trust me, but I am indeed willing to work for you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you."
"You saved me from the Wizard Prison; you are my benefactor."
Witch Catherine said, "It was the laws of the Holy Masters and your past stupidity that put you in the Wizard Prison."
"But let's get one thing straight first: even a Throne Wizard of Golden Crown Mountain cannot ignore the orders of the Wizard Court. You are currently a person of criminal status. If you perform well in the future, I can have your punishment waived, allowing you to reform and have a brand-new start."
"But if you perform poorly, you must return to the Wizard Prison."
A trace of fear indeed appeared on Douglas's face.
Since being possessed by the Third Ring Witch King, everything had gone smoothly for him. Even if he ran into temporary trouble, it always ended with others suffering while he profited.
He believed that with the help of a Third Ring Wizard, his mindset had developed an undue arrogance.
He also felt a sense of familiarity and understanding toward these High-Ring Wizards.
But having gone through this ordeal, he finally understood the meaning of the world's impermanence.
Only now did he truly have a profound sense of awe for High-Ring Wizards.
At this moment, as Witch Catherine sent someone to bring him out of the Wizard Prison, he even thought, 'Fortunately, the Lord of the Throne seems relatively easy to talk to. Otherwise, since I failed the interview for Golden Crown Mountain, according to what was said before, I would definitely have stayed in the Wizard Prison.'
By the time he was escorted out and taken to his teaching assistant post by the Demon Hunter, he still had the illusion of waking from a dream.
'I've actually joined the top Wizard Academy of Golden Crown Mountain?' Douglas marveled in his heart. 'The Lord of the Throne is truly a good person.'
'If I hadn't met this good person, I would surely be dead. Compared to Black Wizard mentors, the Lord of the Throne is already very conscientious. I must work hard for her in the future to repay her for recognizing my worth.'
At this time, the Second Ring Demon Hunter glanced at him and sneered. "Little Black Wizard, consider yourself lucky. If the Lord of the Throne hadn't specifically granted you grace, you would still be serving your sentence in the Wizard Prison. How could you possibly have become a teaching assistant at Golden Crown Mountain?"
"Starting today, you will work in Group 6 of the True Knowledge Institute, assisting those researchers. You must fulfill whatever requirements they have for you. Your future will be decided based on your work performance. Remember, you aren't here to work; you are here for community service to atone for your sins."
Douglas's eyes dimmed.
It seemed he had celebrated too early. Witch Catherine was magnanimous, but the Second Ring Wizards under her might not necessarily have a good attitude toward him.
Douglas lamented in his heart that there were far too few wizards like the Lord of the Throne who would give straying young people like them chance after chance, and who held no prejudice against Black Wizards.
Douglas could only bow to the Second Ring Demon Hunter before him and say, "Sir, I understand. I will work hard."
The Second Ring Demon Hunter threw a data sheet at him. "This is the sentence originally handed down. According to the law, you were to serve 150 years of free labor. Now, these punishments can be fully materialized as your workload at the True Knowledge Institute, with these years of punishment serving as the 'wages' paid to you."
"If you can earn enough 'wages' to offset these sins, then you will be a free man." The Second Ring Demon Hunter looked at him with displeasure. "Of course, for you Black Wizards... I'd prefer to see you rot. Completely destroyed."
"To be honest, I don't believe scumbags like you have a chance to reform. Many of my classmates and students died at the hands of you Black Wizards..."
"You say you were just a nobody in the Wizard Land? Heh, if you ask me, not a single Black Wizard has clean blood flowing through their veins."
The Second Ring Demon Hunter roughly placed a magic ring onto his right thumb. "This is a tracking ring from the Demon Hunters. No matter where you run, we will find you."
"The ring itself constantly absorbs your mana. Your usual mana will be suppressed. If you dare to run, this ring will kill you. If the Lord of the Throne hadn't asked me to remind you, I really wouldn't have wanted to tell you this."
Douglas gave a series of bitter smiles. He hadn't expected that just coming to Golden Crown Mountain to watch a sports match would result in him being captured.
Had he known this would happen, he shouldn't have listened to the Witch King that day and thrown that emerald cat's eye stone to Locke Augustine.
The Second Ring Demon Hunter looked toward the door, a slight expression appearing on his face. "Witch Mason, this is the person assigned to work for you. Take him back. If he dares to run, you have permission to kill him on sight."
"I have already transferred control of the magic ring on his thumb to all the researchers in your laboratory."
Witch Mason bowed respectfully to the Demon Hunter. "Yes, sir."
After the Demon Hunter left, Witch Mason looked at him coldly. Unlike her enthusiasm toward Locke, the look in Witch Mason's eyes as she looked at this Black Wizard was filled with curiosity, fear, caution, and disgust.
"Follow me. Our workload is very heavy. It so happens that our small group is a research sub-group formed with Locke Augustine at its core. Our group has three second-class fund projects that need to be concluded as soon as possible. I'm too embarrassed to ask the Boss to help us, so we should handle these minor matters ourselves."
"So, you indeed have a lot of work to do."
Douglas felt extremely stifled. He lowered his head and walked down the hallway behind Witch Mason.
At this moment, the voice of Lagemen Witch King finally appeared in his ear. "Douglas, you've finally managed to sneak into Golden Crown Mountain."
Douglas's body stiffened for a moment. Since a week ago, he had been unable to establish contact with Lagemen Witch King and had thought the Witch King had abandoned him.
Suppressing his excitement, Douglas said, 'Teacher, where have you been this past week? Why didn't you appear?'
Lagemen Witch King's voice responded, 'During this past week, that Witch Catherine maintained a certain level of focus on you. I wasn't sure if she could discover me, so I didn't dare appear before her. Now that she has finally removed her extra attention from you, I dare to speak with you.'
'However, do not worry. I have already read the memories in your soul regarding your experiences this past week and know what happened. The Wizard Prison... is somewhat similar to the Supernatural Purgatory of our era. It seems that no matter the era, these things always exist...'
Douglas was incredibly excited. 'Teacher, this is great. Now that you're here, I know exactly what I need to do. And it's wonderful to know that the Lord of the Throne has been watching me all along; she must be willing to give me a chance...'
'...' The Lagemen Witch King fell silent. 'Well, if you choose to interpret it that way, it certainly only brings you benefits and no harm. It's fine for you to think so.'
The Lagemen Witch King wisely chose not to explain that Witch Catherine's handling of him was merely an attempt to bestow favor upon him.
In truth, during the interview, the Lagemen Witch King had the ability to help him pass the assessment. However, halfway through, he suddenly sensed that the boy's future was bleak and shrouded in darkness. He was jolted awake by the realization that if he truly helped this kid pass the assessment, the kid would surely die!
The only way to avoid death and stay out of the Wizard Prison was to demonstrate a certain level of value while providing an opportunity for Witch Catherine to bestow her favor.
Only in this way could that powerful witch trust him.
And believe that she could turn him into one of her direct subordinates.
Otherwise, that powerful witch would likely think that this cheap student of his had already fully grown and could no longer be molded or tamed.
Realizing this, the Lagemen Witch King immediately began to play dead.
The Lagemen Witch King marveled in his heart. 'No matter the era... there are always powerful wizards pursuing eternal power. These wizards are often the figures who manipulate the winds and clouds of an era, possessing immense influence. Meeting that Witch Catherine, I seem to see in her certain traits of those powerful witch kings of the past.'
The Lagemen Witch King said to Douglas, "Douglas, regardless of how you joined Golden Crown Mountain, you are a part of it now. Since you've joined by a twist of fate, you must seize the opportunity. Right now, you are indeed a lonely prisoner, but in the future, you can become the bright rising star of Golden Crown Mountain."
"Do not be discouraged by your awkward situation at this time and place. Believe me, as long as you seize the opportunity, you will turn things around sooner or later!"
"Douglas, I will help you. Moreover, coming into contact with the basic research of this era is also beneficial for me. Don't forget, you have a Third Ring Wizard as your 'cheat code.' With my help, you will shine brilliantly in basic research!"
Douglas was lost in thought, his eyes reflecting a newfound interest in a bright future.
Indeed, with the help of a Third Ring Wizard, he would surely stand out in basic research very quickly.
...
At the Dragon Blood Market castle, Locke entered the Golden Peach Garden and found the trader Bruce. He used three hundred and sixty thousand magic stones to purchase sixty beeches.
Bruce the trader looked at Locke with confusion and said, "Mr. Augustine, I watched your previous match as well. You truly are a capable wizard. It's just, why are you buying so many beeches this time..."
Locke smiled and did not answer.
The previous situation was special, but he couldn't use the queens chessboard every single time he developed a tyrant element no. 2 cell conjugate. That would be too extravagant and unnecessary.
By using sixty beeches, he could entirely cultivate the corresponding usable tyrant element no. 2 cell conjugates.
This would save a large amount of magic stones.
The cost-performance ratio was quite high.
Furthermore, he estimated that at least half of these sixty beeches would eventually be able to join his Forest Sanctuary.
They wouldn't have to be completely discarded.
Locke said to Bruce the trader, "Take me to pick up the goods."
After they finished picking up the goods, Bruce the trader mentioned, "Mr. Augustine, a new batch of luxury magic plants has recently arrived in the hidden showroom. Would you like to take a look? Every single one is very practical..."
Locke waved his hand; he really didn't need them for the time being. "Not for now. If I need anything in the future, I'll take the initiative to contact you."
He left the shop and headed to a magic mirror shop in the Dragon Blood Assembly that sold wearable mirrors—essentially a magic eyewear shop.
Locke glanced at the shopkeeper, a First Ring witch in the Gasification Stage who was attending to him, and then took out the letter of introduction Witch Catherine had written for him. "I want to see your boss..."
The witch shopkeeper subconsciously said, "The boss doesn't see outsiders."
But when she saw the crest on the letter representing Witch Catherine, a look of surprise immediately appeared on her face. She nodded slightly to Locke and said, "My apologies, dear guest. It turns out you are the student of the boss's good friend."
"Please follow me. The boss has said that if it's that lady's student, they can enter the lounge directly without an appointment."
Locke followed her into a lounge that only employees could enter and waited for a while. About half an hour later, he finally saw a blonde elf witch approaching. She wore a monocle over her left eye and an exaggerated pointed wizard hat.
The witch seemed a bit dazed, and a bird feather was stuck to her wizard hat. The shopkeeper couldn't help but reach out and remove the bird feather from her hat for her.
The witch looked dazed at the bird feather in the shopkeeper's hand. "How truly impolite of me. I wouldn't want to be mocked by Yekaterina because of this."
"I clearly tidied myself up before coming out."
The shopkeeper said respectfully, "Boss, it's possible that when you went to deal with that bald-tailed phoenix on your way out, this phoenix feather fell onto your hat."
Witch Victoria said, "Ah, then it probably fell onto my hat at that time."
Witch Victoria winked at Locke, seemingly trying to bribe him. "Little fellow, could I ask you not to tell my best friend about this embarrassing incident?"
Locke bowed to this Third Ring Alchemist. "Lady Victoria, you must be joking. You are my elder; the moment I saw you, I deeply felt your majesty."
Witch Victoria was stunned for a moment, then smiled with a hint of pleasant surprise. "I didn't expect Katya's last disciple to have such a personality. This is truly interesting; Katya's students are usually very serious. Well... it's probably because Katya is quite terrifying. I was her classmate back in our student days, and even then, I felt she was a very serious person."
Witch Victoria reminisced, "Whenever one is around Katya, the atmosphere involuntarily becomes serious. Katya rarely jokes with others."
Locke guessed that Katya was Witch Catherine's nickname among her close friends.
Witch Victoria looked at Locke and said, "By the way, what was Katya's purpose in sending you to find me?"
Locke immediately said to her, "My teacher wants me to purchase the Eternal Light Contact Lenses from you."
Witch Victoria's expression instantly became serious. She reached out her left hand, took the recommendation letter from Locke, and read it carefully. "Since it is her suggestion, I naturally have no objection."
"I can sell it to you at cost price. Two million magic stones each. Well, this cost price doesn't include labor fees. But if the Magic item is damaged later, no Alchemist besides my lab should have the ability to repair it."
"Do you know what the Eternal Light Contact Lenses are?"
Locke shook his head honestly. "Witch Victoria, I do not know."
Witch Victoria pulled out a small contact lens from her astral ring. "Try putting this on your right eye. It's okay, you can test it."
Locke hesitated for a moment, then pulled open the eyelid of his right eye and placed the contact lens onto his pupil.
There won't be a third update today. The author needs to organize the outline recently, so I can only maintain updates of 11,000 to 12,000 words. Otherwise, it would be too fast, which isn't good. I want to polish the story and prepare for the Abyssal Ruins.