669: Is the apocalypse wizard stone in your hands?
Wizard Forbes took the wizard shoes sample out of his astral ring and put them on his feet.
The scaly leaves of the great snow peak pineapple self-adapted to the soles of his feet, clinging to them and undergoing slight morphological changes.
Wizard Forbes was slightly surprised because, in his past tests of wizard shoes, newly established brands always had a common issue: there would inevitably be problems with small details here and there.
This was because the manufacturers and designers of newly established wizard shoes brands lacked relevant experience; they were already working hard just to get the main functions right, let alone paying attention to every minor detail.
However, the production technology and design blueprints of this newly established wizard shoes brand before him were remarkably reasonable and well-perfected.
Wizard Forbes said, "This researcher must have found a mature manufacturer for production; otherwise, the details wouldn't be so exquisite. Look at this enchantment—although it doesn't use high-end technology, it is engraved along the trajectory of the Magic Plant pineapple's special leaves."
"The craftsmanship is mature."
Wizard Luca glanced at the data and said, "It's a production line from Alsace. The Alsace Shop Alliance has been investing in production capacity across various Colonial Worlds recently; it seems their efforts have yielded results."
"This Wizard Augustine has a deep partnership with the Alsace Shop Alliance. Given his connections, it's quite normal for him to invite an excellent production team to manufacture for him."
"Forbes, how does it feel to wear these wizard shoes?"
"Are they usable?"
Wizard Forbes assessed the sensation in his feet; wearing these wizard shoes felt no different from wearing an ordinary pair of shoes.
However, with just a slight movement, the specialized fleshy roots of the great snow peak pineapple—resembling the ice blades of skates—skidded across the ground, leaving an icy trail and imbuing the earth with cold ice magic.
"Hmm?" Wizard Forbes exclaimed softly. He slid across the ground, leaving an ice mark, and in an instant, he had glided a distance of one thousand meters.
Wizard Forbes gave a slight push with his feet, and immediately, an ice rail resembling a railway track appeared beneath him. He glided along this icy track at a tremendous speed, moving like a waltz.
Moreover, it wasn't just his speed that was impressive; influenced by these wizard shoes, his movement trajectory was elegant, flexible, smooth, and rapid.
Semicircle after semicircle appeared in mid-air.
Wizard Forbes' expression turned serious. "This truly surprises me. It's far more than just 'usable.' The performance of these Magic Plant wizard shoes is actually on par with the latest First Ring products from Meileqi Magic Step and Solas Lightfoot (30k)."
Wizard Forbes slightly shifted the angle of his right foot, and instantly, a rapidly rotating circle appeared on the icy rail in mid-air, allowing him to drift quickly along the spiral track.
He was a Moon Ring Wizard, so he had fully mastered how to use the great snow peak pineapple as soon as he tried it.
By simply shifting his feet in a specific direction, he could automatically leverage the traits of the great snow peak pineapple to glide along a spiral path in the sky, making his entire movement incredibly elegant.
Wizard Forbes looked incredulous. "It is hard to imagine that this is the work of a small, newly established brand by an individual wizard. The performance is excellent—it rivals Meileqi Magic Step and Solas Lightfoot (30k)."
"Although after careful use, I've noticed that while the performance is abundant, the finer details are still slightly lacking. However, this doesn't affect its utility as a weapon of war; it's merely a matter of comfort and a slight learning curve."
The usage and learning curves for the various wizard shoes from Meileqi Magic Step and Solas Lightfoot (30k) have been specially optimized.
Therefore, wizards find these two brands of wizard shoes very simple to use, provided you stick to their basic functions.
Both the Glory Ranger 01 and the Shadow Dancer 86 possess this characteristic.
However, when Wizard Forbes used these great snow peak pineapple 02s (the first version was the ordinary Tyrant Transformation great snow peak pineapple), he still noticed some unfamiliarity in their operation.
But this was a trivial matter.
Since the users of these wizard shoes are all wizards, learning the operation is, in fact, the lowest cost.
There isn't a single wizard who couldn't figure out how to use a pair of wizard shoes.
Wizard Forbes landed on the ground, and the great snow peak pineapple transformed into two fireflies that landed in his hands. He looked at Wizard Luca with a serious expression and said, "If I told you that these wizard shoes don't just look like the work of a novice, but rather the work of a master, would you believe me?"
Wizard Luca raised an eyebrow. "Setting aside the fact that this is just a new brand, the biggest difference between Magic Plant wizard shoes and Magic item wizard shoes likely lies in energy and craftsmanship. The craftsmanship of Magic item wizard shoes is mature, but the most critical issue is energy."
"Magic items can utilize various energy-based alchemical devices, whereas Magic Plants must rely on their roots, leaves, or other organs to absorb and convert specific external magic tides and various energies."
"Among mobile objects, it is difficult for a Magic Plant of the same volume to achieve the same energy output power and endurance as a Magic item wizard shoe."
"That is the key point."
"As Botanical Wizards, both you and I should be clear about this. When it comes to miniaturized, high-speed moving objects, plants have always been the weaker side."
Wizard Forbes shook his head and said, "These Magic Plant wizard shoes possess performance not inferior to the top First Ring Magic item wizard shoes in the Yunze Wetland."
Wizard Luca lowered his head in thought. "That is strange. Look at how small this pair of pineapples is—they look no bigger than a palm. The fact that a Magic Plant of this volume can achieve such performance is beyond my understanding. How did he solve the energy conversion and absorption efficiency?"
"If that's the case, I believe there is likely more than one special energy-locking structure within this Magic Plant."
Wizard Luca constantly conceived various energy-locking structures unique to Magic Plants in his mind, attempting to use his magical knowledge in the field of Breeding Science to piece together a method that could produce the Magic Plant wizard shoes before him.
But in the end, he shook his head slightly.
Because his reason told him... it was impossible.
Based on his understanding of First Ring Magic Plants, without an imaginary root, it is absolutely impossible to achieve this level of magic energy absorption and conversion efficiency. However, if an imaginary root were added to the Magic Plant, due to the nature of the imaginary root, the Magic Plant would inevitably progress toward the Second Ring stage.
The cost and the threshold for the user's magical power would both increase, meaning it would no longer be the First Ring wizard shoes they intended to test.
Furthermore, even with the addition of an imaginary root, the characteristics of the imaginary root would prevent the Magic Plant from moving this quickly.
This was the fatal flaw of previous pure Magic Plant wizard shoes.
Wizard Luca looked at the wizard shoes handed over by Wizard Forbes. As a Breeder, his curiosity compelled him to involuntarily want to investigate how Locke had achieved this.
However, his goal was blocked by the triple phantom leaves on the wizard shoes.
"Triple phantom leaves? He even managed to obtain these; it seems he had anticipated all of this."
Wizard Forbes smiled and said, "This Wizard Augustine must have long anticipated that other wizards would want to decipher the secrets of his Magic Plant wizard shoes."
"However, I advise you not to delve into this matter. Behind him is the Academic Committee and Throne Yekaterina."
"Do you dare to crack his technology before the Throne Lord's student has even published an article?"
Wizard Luca coughed. "Triple phantom leaves are a precious plant factor used for anti-cracking. Since he incorporated this precious plant factor into this pineapple Magic Plant, it will be very difficult to decipher it in the short or medium term, unless he voluntarily publishes the relevant plant essence and plant factors."
"However, I am still very curious about how he managed to strengthen the Magic Plant to this extent."
Wizard Luca clasped his hands behind his back and said, "The younger generation is truly formidable."
Wizard Luca put on the wizard shoes himself and conducted a test, confirming that this pair of First Ring wizard shoes indeed possessed the ability to rival the top First Ring wizard shoes.
Wizard Luca said, "Incredible. The Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes aren't his original creation. That young First Ring Breeder from before, who provoked the Magic Weavers, was plotted against by them, and died during a Plane conquest, was the primary pioneer of the Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes concept."
"But before he could become a Second Ring Wizard and continue his research on the path of Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes, he died under mysterious circumstances."
"However, he is the only wizard who has managed to strengthen the Air Pineapple Wizard Shoes to this extent. His research in the field of pineapple Magic Plants is already extremely deep. I truly wonder what kind of energy-locking structure he has mastered to have increased the energy absorption efficiency of this Air Pineapple Magic Plant so significantly."
Wizard Luca sighed, "As expected of a top disciple of a Throne Wizard."
Wizard Forbes coughed. "Luca, you and I are both at this age. We should know that it's better to say less regarding sensitive topics. Besides, we have no evidence."
"Would the Magic Weavers really resort to murder just because of a Breeder who might advance to a Second Ring Wizard and insists on focusing his main research on Air Pineapple Magic Plant wizard shoes? Without evidence, such things cannot be spoken of casually."
"Furthermore, before Locke Augustine, no one would have considered this a promising path."
Wizard Luca nodded. "That's true."
The two continued their testing, evaluating about twenty-one submissions from the various well-known wizard shoes Shop Alliances in the Yunze Wetland that had sent in samples this time.
However, after discussing, the two unanimously decided that there were only three final candidates: the Shadow Dancer 86 version from Meileqi Magic Step, the Glory Ranger 01 version from Solas Lightfoot (30k), and the great snow peak pineapple 02 version from augustus wizard shoes.
The two began their discussion. "Twenty-one submissions, including works from our own people, have all been tested and scored. As the test evaluators, we can still provide a relatively subjective final evaluation opinion."
"After testing, among these 21 pairs of wizard shoes, only the works from the two established top wizard shoes brands and the dark horse, the augustus wizard shoes brand, are on the same level."
Wizard Forbes pondered, "I think, why don't we select the Augustus wizard brand for our final evaluation recommendation?"
"As for the final decision, that will be discussed by the War Committee."
Although by convention, their final evaluation opinions basically determine which design scheme will be adopted.
Wizard Luca hesitated. "From an emotional perspective, it is better for us to choose the augustus wizard shoes. But from a rational perspective, I think we still need to consider it carefully."
"Does a newly established wizard shoes brand really have such high production capacity?"
"These are just samples. If any accidents happen, we will be the ones fined."
Wizard Forbes said, "He can cooperate with Alsace. Since he has a stable cooperation with Alsace, we don't need to worry about his production capacity issues."
Wizard Luca nodded. "That's true. But there is another problem. Using this kind of wizard shoes brand that no one has ever heard of before carries a certain risk for both of us."
"If the combat performance is good, it will be considered that we have a discerning eye."
"If the performance in the war is poor, we might encounter some trouble."
Wizard Forbes suddenly spoke up, "By the way, what are the prices of the Radiant Ranger and Shadow Dancer? What is the price of the great snow peak pineapple?"
Wizard Luca quickly flipped through the materials. "Hmm... the price of the Radiant Ranger is 350,000 per pair, and the price of the Shadow Dancer is 300,000 per pair."
"Hmm? Is the price of the Meileqi Magic Step so low this year?"
Wizard Forbes sneered. "Selling a pair of wizard shoes at this price is almost triple the cost of a Magic item of the same level. Custom Magic items and luxury Magic items can easily cost 500,000, but these are mass-produced wizard shoes."
"They actually want to sell them for that much. Now that they are only 50,000 cheaper, am I supposed to thank them? What is the price of the augustus wizard shoes?"
Wizard Luca flipped through the materials, then blinked, somewhat incredulous. "Fi... fifty thousand?"
"The other party only quoted 50,000."
"No, isn't this price too low?"
Wizard Luca rubbed his eyes. "The average price of wizard shoes is 2-5 times that of Magic items of the same level. This is the first time I have seen wizard shoes sold for less than the average price of Magic items."
"Fifty thousand..."
Wizard Forbes looked at the first three products of the augustus wizard shoes brand. "Their previous products were 20,000 magic stones per pair. This 50,000 magic stones per pair is already a doubling of their selling price for them."
Wizard Forbes said, "In this augustus wizard shoes brand, I see meticulousness, seriousness, enthusiasm, and professionalism. It has both the professionalism of an established wizard shoes brand and the humility of a new brand."
"I see a future in it. Since the unit price is so low, we have no pressure in choosing it. Even if something happens, we cannot be blamed later. After all, the price of this thing is very low."
Wizard Luca thought for a moment, hesitated, and then said, "That is indeed true. Then, for our final selection in the field of wizard shoes, let us write down these augustus wizard shoes."
When he said this, Wizard Luca was still a bit dazed.
Even Golden Crown Mountain cannot be without a bias towards seniority. After all, established Shop Alliance or brands are certainly more stable in performance, more mature in cooperation, and have fewer links where errors can occur.
Therefore, in all previous evaluations, they have rarely chosen the work of such a pure newcomer.
If the cost-performance ratio of the works submitted by the Magic Weavers could be higher, even if it were just half higher than it is now, he would immediately refuse Wizard Forbes's choice.
After all, for war equipment, the most important thing is that everything is stable.
It's just that the Magic Weavers have been too excessive recently.
Perhaps, it really is time to give a newcomer a chance.
After discussing again and confirming that the anti-theft capability of Locke's wizard shoes was also good, they dared to write their decision on the opinion paper.
That is, to recommend to the War Committee the procurement of the great snow peak pineapple 02 version from the augustus wizard shoes brand.
The Demonic Realm War is a war between Golden Crown Mountain and the Twin Demon Realm under certain constraints, so the equipment procured by Golden Crown Mountain has established rules.
Procurement cannot be done arbitrarily.
During the war, Magic items of tactical level and above cannot be used.
Only individual-level items can be used.
If the intensity of the war is not controlled, and Golden Crown Mountain and the Twin Demon Realm keep using strategic-level weapons, it will easily lead to a real all-out conflict between the two major wizard forces, which will do neither side any good.
Once the scale of the war goes out of control, it could turn into a terrifying event that destroys everyone, and even the Yunze Wetland and the Twin Demon Realm could be destroyed in the war.
Wizard Forbes wrote down the opinion paper and immediately smiled, "I hope this matter can give those Magic Weavers a lesson, let them have some pressure, and know how to reflect. After all, Locke's identity is very important, and it is not so easy for him to disappear."
Wizard Luca shook his head slightly. "Do you know what 'deep-rooted problems are hard to solve' means? These two Shop Alliances are simply too big. It is not just these two Shop Alliances; the entire Magic Weaver industry has rotted from the roots. Even if some wizards decide to draw a line with them, they will often only be persecuted by those who are in collusion with them."
"These are not the most critical points. The most critical point is those high-ring Magic Weavers of the Rose Council."
"If the source of the water is foul, how can this river not be foul?"
"Forget it. That young man should be able to earn a staggering amount of money at once. I wonder if his wizard shoes brand can really keep going."
...
Golden Crown Mountain, Dragon Blood Assembly, Witchs Kitchen, Room 1.
Inside the private room, Wizard Smith was wearing a white wizard robe, with three white bird feathers adorned on his shoulders. He wore a gentle smile and looked at Locke, saying, "Brother Augustine, we finally meet. I have been ordered by the Third Ring Wizard of the Storm Tower to come to your Golden Crown Mountain several times recently."
"Oh, this is the wizard leader of the Thunder Demon Society."
"You should have met before." Wizard Smith stood up, looking not at all arrogant or domineering, completely different from Antoine.
He was gentle and refined, as if he were an ordinary young teacher. His attire was not luxurious, just looking somewhat ordinary.
Locke sat down in front of him and discovered that the wizard leader of the Thunder Demon Society was looking at him with hateful eyes.
A flash of malice crossed Locke's eyes. Then, he sat down in front of the two of them as if nothing had happened, directly took a decanter of wizard wine from in front of Wizard Smith, and poured it into the empty cup in front of himself.
He picked up the wine glass and smelled it. "Peach Blossom Drunk?"
"This kind of wizard wine can make even a First Ring wizard at the Crystallization Stage drunk. It is not cheap; I remember a pot costs 5,000 magic stones."
"Smith, you are quite generous."
Locke drank it directly. As a Potion Master, he was not afraid of anyone poisoning him.
Wizard Smith's pupils immediately shrank slightly.
And that Thunder Demon Society wizard, in the hateful eyes that were originally looking at Locke, a trace of fear appeared.
For some reason, he felt a chill down his back. Although he was clearly still alive, it was as if he had already stepped into the end of his life.
Locke looked at Wizard Smith and said, "Speak, what do you want with me?"
Wizard Smith seemed to be caught off guard by Locke's attitude. He smiled, "Locke. People like you and me who have status are naturally easy to communicate with."
"A few days ago, I asked this wizard to go to the Abyss River for me, wanting to obtain a special resource."
"It's a pity that the Thunder Demon Society seems to have had a conflict with you, so they were almost completely wiped out."
Locke said, "It has nothing to do with me. I did not kill them. If you think there is a problem, you can go to the Holy Master Court, or the Ethics and Morality Review Committee."
Wizard Smith frowned. He had already been there before. If there were any possibility of winning, there