932: A King of Hell is Inferior to a Lecturer Wizard of the Wizarding World!
Witch Catherine picked up the stele Locke had given her, her brow furrowing slightly. "Don't just accept gifts from devils at random."
Locke immediately asked, "Teacher, what is this? Is there something wrong with it?"
Witch Catherine said, "According to the terminology of the New Sea Route, this is a World Wonder. Placing this World Wonder into a world of medium-to-large scale or smaller can accelerate the time of the people, objects, and powers within it. Simply put, you can think of it as an acceleration card for a specific area, with the maximum range being roughly a medium-to-large scale world."
"This is very useful for you."
"However, a curse has been placed on it that can track your location. But that doesn't matter; even if the devils know where you are and who you are, as long as you are in my Golden Crown Mountain, it's fine. Besides, devils are not a civilized race that cares about the gifts they give out. They love investing, and investments always have winners and losers. Therefore, they won't care too much about what they've given away."
Witch Catherine continued, "Within the map of the Endless Void, the Wizarding World and Baator Hell have a quasi-ally relationship. Thus, letting them know your location and identity is actually of little consequence."
Locke was stunned for a moment, not expecting Baator Hell and the Wizarding World to be quasi-allies.
Witch Catherine said, "The Bottomless Abyss wants to directly devour our world, causing our entire world to fall into its depths. In fact, some Planes of the Bottomless Abyss were once Planes of the Wizarding World."
"Baator Hell, on the other hand, wants to form a true alliance with us, so they try to tempt some of our high-level wizards. Of course, while it's a quasi-ally relationship, in reality, if Baator Hell had the chance to invade us, they would do so immediately."
"We have both cooperation and war with them."
"Baator Hell has always been a world that loves aggression."
"Taking this World Wonder was very risky. With even a slight lapse in caution, this clone of yours would have been destroyed, potentially even endangering your main body. But I must say, your decision at the time was correct. Devils are very cunning and always think many steps ahead. Since you were able to take this World Wonder from their legion, besides your sudden turnaround catching them off guard, there's another reason—you were indulged by that Third Ring Grand Commander."
Witch Catherine extended her left hand, using her index finger and thumb to pinch a wisp of hellfire floating up from the stele.
"This is a power inheritance from Hell, a gift he placed inside for you. The best way to deal with devils is to simply not accept the gifts they give you."
"Aside from that..."
A peach branch appeared in Witch Catherine's hand. She used it like a broom to sweep across Locke's shoulders. "You've been marked with quite a few power imprints from both devils and the Abyss. I'll help you clear them out. These are all hidden dangers."
Locke was stunned.
If not for Witch Catherine's reminder, he wouldn't have realized that just one trip to the Abyss would leave him with so many power imprints.
A black-purple beast claw mark appeared on Locke's chest. This mark quickly floated from his chest onto his clothes, then moved all over his wizard robe before suddenly self-combusting.
Witch Catherine glanced at it and sneered, "This is the Demon of Ten Thousand Beasts, a Fourth Ring existence in the Abyss."
Locke said, "Teacher, I don't believe I've ever met this being."
Witch Catherine said calmly, "The Bottomless Abyss is like the trash pit of the Endless Void, and no one can say for sure how much trash is buried in a trash pit. It's likely that after you entered the 445th floor, you attracted the secret attention of some beings, and they stealthily placed a curse on you."
"But you don't need to worry too much about these things. Wizards travel far and wide; who wouldn't get contaminated by things they don't even notice? For all I know, someone might have placed a secret curse on me without me realizing it."
"I'm helping you remove it just to be safe. You are already a Second Ring Great Wizard and can act independently and protect yourself in the Endless Void. This secret curse wouldn't have much effect on you. It's likely just some entities in the Bottomless Abyss who were overthrown by their subordinates and want to use you to spread their influence to other worlds, seeking survival by cutting their losses and escaping to another world."
"They are all losers who were overthrown in the Bottomless Abyss."
Witch Catherine used the peach branch like a broom to sweep over the surface of Locke's body. With each sweep, the branch in her hand would release a faint red light.
Finally, hellfire suddenly appeared on both of Locke's shoulders.
Immediately after, the hellfire formed a face behind Locke. It was clearly that ram-horned Third Ring high-ranking hell commander from Baator Hell, a high-level devil of the Baator Demon Race.
The commander looked at Witch Catherine and said, "So it's the student of the Red Dragon Grand Duke."
"I knew this little fellow had a familiar aura on him. I almost killed the wrong person. Lady Grand Duke Yekaterina, you and the master behind me are allies on the second layer of Baator Hell. Please return the Chronology Stele to us. You are also an important member of our Hell."
Locke looked at his teacher in surprise.
Good heavens, it turned out his teacher even held an official position on the second layer of Baator Hell!
Was this the so-called recruitment by Baator Hell?
Indeed, through such methods, Baator Hell could exert some influence among the high-level figures of the Wizarding World. No wonder Baator Hell and the Wizarding World maintained a state of struggle without breaking.
Witch Catherine said, "Go back and tell your Baron Nash that the Chronology Stele will be kept in my student's hands for the time being."
The high-level devil commander looked troubled. "This... Grand Duke, you and the Baron are allies."
Witch Catherine rebuked, "Allies? The curse you placed on my student would have turned him into a hell demon in about ten years. Is this how you treat an ally?"
The high-level devil commander said, "But if he falls into Hell, wouldn't he be perfect to manage your properties there?"
"The King of Devils of the second layer very much looks forward to you shifting the focus of your career to our Hell. The civilization level of our Hell has recently received a significant upgrade... Being a King in Hell is surely much better than being a mere professor in the Wizarding World..."
Witch Catherine sneered. "A King of Hell is inferior to a Lecturer Wizard of the Wizarding World."
"Honor and rank have their order, and hierarchy is distinct. This is precisely the law of your Hell. To think you would dare talk back to me to my face—you deserve death."
Without waiting for the devil commander who had left his power on Locke to speak, Witch Catherine pointed a finger at him. In the next instant, the devil commander's phantom was instantly torn to shreds.
Before vanishing, the devil commander said, "Red Dragon Grand Duke, Lord Baron still wishes to maintain the alliance with you, don't..."
Once things settled down, Locke gave a bitter smile. He hadn't expected his teacher to have part-time jobs in other worlds.
It seemed that the Throne Wizards of the Wizarding World might hold positions in other equivalent civilizations.
From that perspective, perhaps even the Sea Queen Throne had other part-time roles.
Locke said, "Teacher, that devil gave me a Hell Hexagon, which records their Hell Portal teleportation technology. I originally wanted to use it to publish an article, but I didn't realize I was being so overconfident."
If the Red Dragon Throne was a high-level figure on the side of Hell, then surely the Wizarding World was not unaware of the special teleportation technology held by the Hell civilization.
Then his previous idea of using it to publish an article would be impossible—at least, it likely wouldn't make it into a Second Ring second district journal.
And the third district held no meaning for him.
Witch Catherine glanced at Locke and said, "That's not necessarily the case. In Hell, all factions need to resolve things in the most primitive way—combat. I am away from Hell for long periods, so my territory there is small, and I don't have access to much useful information. This is also the first I've heard of Hell mastering large-scale teleportation technology. I'm afraid some major events will follow..."
"However, I am indeed writing a paper for a Third Ring first district journal regarding Hell. Can you give that item to me?"
"If you give it to me, it will indeed be useful. In return, I can grant you one opportunity to enter a Second Ring Wizard Secret Realm."
Locke nodded. Some things in the hands of a low-ring wizard could indeed only be used to publish second district or third district articles with little benefit, but if given to a High-Ring Wizard, they could use their academic status and research projects to leverage much greater resources.
Locke said, "Of course, Teacher. But could I exchange this one opportunity for a Second Ring Secret Realm for five opportunities to enter the First Ring Wizard Secret Realms of Golden Crown Mountain?"
Witch Catherine asked, "Why?"
Locke replied, "First, I have the confidence to break through to become a Star Ring Wizard this time. With this World Wonder, I'm even more certain, so I won't need a regular Second Ring Wizard Secret Realm. Secondly, I'm actually most lacking in First Ring resources; I want some First Ring Wizard Secret Realms to create resources for the students under me."
Witch Catherine nodded. "I appreciate your perspective. To move upward, one must not only gain the favor of those above but also learn to distribute resources to those below. It's very good that you can realize this on your own without my reminder."
"But five times..."
Witch Catherine thought seriously. Five times was actually quite a lot because entry opportunities for Wizard Secret Realms were scarce, and one couldn't simply compare the value of a Second Ring entry to a First Ring entry on a one-to-one basis.
Witch Catherine thought of the benefits she had recently gained from her faction's expansion and suddenly smiled. "Alright, five times it is."
Witch Catherine took an application form from her drawer, wrote some words on it, and then stamped it with her seal. "About one-third of the Wizard Secret Realm resources in Golden Crown Mountain are controlled by the Academic Committee."
"As I am the Vice-Chair, I can approve this directly."
"The quota for these entry opportunities will be deducted from my annual allowance. I won't specify which Wizard Secret Realms they are; since I've already stamped it, it represents the Academic Committee's approval. Whichever Wizard Secret Realm you wish to enter, just fill in the name yourself."
Locke took the five application forms, feeling both surprised and delighted. His teacher's power in Golden Crown Mountain was truly growing greater and greater.
Locke then asked Witch Catherine, "By the way, Teacher, I've been meaning to ask—has Senior Sister Shali broken through to become a Second Ring Wizard? Why hasn't she come out yet?"
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
Witch Catherine shook her head. "Wizards of the Holy School enter the academy's Divine Kingdom when they advance, but Golden Crown Mountain does not have an independent Divine Kingdom for the Holy School. We can teach Holy School wizards here because we have negotiated a partnership with the Cross Plains in the Eastern Border Region."
"There is a large Holy School wizard university in the Cross Plains—the Southern Divine Kingdom Academy. Therefore, I do not know what happened to Charlie. This is also the reason why the Holy School wizards of our Golden Crown Mountain cannot produce any Great Wizards; Golden Crown Mountain does not have many resources in this regard. We use other people's Divine Kingdoms, and once something happens, we can only contact the Southern Divine Kingdom Academy."
Locke had heard of the Cross Plains. Although the Cross Plains Wizard Land was not considered a powerful Wizard Land in the Eastern Border Region and was even somewhat obscure, it seemed to be a transportation hub between the regions of the major Wizarding Worlds.
So, there was a super-large Holy School wizard university there?
Witch Catherine looked at Locke and teased, "Let's talk about you first. If you can push your Leaf of Power system to the true Second Ring level before participating in the defense for the special grant, it will be of great benefit to you."
"The defense for the special grant is very special and has always been very intense."
"I once became a Star Ring Wizard during a special grant defense."
Locke looked at Witch Catherine in confusion.
Witch Catherine said, "The competition in the project application for the special grant is very fierce, and your performance during the defense largely determines whether you will pass. Therefore, a wizard must prepare meticulously. During the defense process, the review board will attack the logical loopholes in your work, and your competitors will also attack your logical loopholes."
"I believe the most important process for advancing to the star ring is tempering. That is a huge driving force for forging Ultimate Magic. During the debate with those wizards, you will attain self-examination. If you can overwhelm them with your momentum, it means that your self-awareness has risen to a new level."
"This is a form of forging Ultimate Magic. Although this statement might not be recognized by many wizards when taken outside, and it is even quite controversial, wizards can indeed use the defense during project applications to get training. However, not every project application requires an internal defense; only a few projects like the special grant have them."
"Do not regard this peculiarity as a challenge; you can view it as an opportunity. Change your mindset, and you will find that it is not a battlefield, but a place where a brand new you is born."
"However, this usually implies a certain danger." Witch Catherine crossed her arms.
Locke looked at her.
Witch Catherine said, "Using others' attacks to forge your own Ultimate Magic is naturally better if you win. But if you lose, it means you will develop some self-doubt."
"This is a double-edged sword."
Locke nodded. Using others to hone oneself indeed requires taking some risks, because if not utilized well, it is easy to suffer a backlash.
Witch Catherine said, "You can go and prepare well. Both you and Zeno are students I think highly of. Whoever among you obtains the special grant is beneficial to me. Of course, the same goes for Brandy and Droma. It is highly probable that this special grant will be obtained by one of my students."
"Besides that, Golden Crown Mountain is currently at war with the Great Dark World, and the Academic Committee believes that a batch of war supplies needs to be purchased, including a demand for aircraft. See if your Aladdin Shop Alliance or Zeno's Zenorilla Shop Alliance can take on this order."
Locke received a data sheet, and on it was a large list of war demands for First Ring, apprentice, and Second Ring levels.
Locke discovered that Golden Crown Mountain seemed to be trying to turn their war with the Great Dark World into a trial for each academy. Therefore, in this data sheet, many items were course completion assignments assigned to students by wizard instructors within the various academies of Golden Crown Mountain...
In other words, the Great Dark World was viewed by Golden Crown Mountain as a resource point.
Locke said, "In addition to aircraft, there is also a demand for Magic Plant weapons. Teacher, I will have Aladdin and the Silver Peach Garden jointly develop a flying weapon Magic Plant."
Witch Catherine nodded.
"A good idea. You are always able to save me a lot of effort."
"You may go."
Locke bowed and left. After leaving Witch Catherine's office, in the hallway, he happened to run into Zeno, who was carrying a crystallized magical plant in his hand.
Wizard Zeno glanced at Locke without greeting him and pushed the door open to enter.
Wizard Zeno closed the office door.
"Teacher, you were looking for me... It just so happens I also have something to discuss with you. Teacher, I believe that the experimental results cited in many articles on the Magic Plant Crystallization Technology route in Cloud Marsh are problematic and worthy of questioning. I am unable to reproduce many of the experimental results."
"I wrote a letter to question the people in Cloud Marsh, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea."
Witch Catherine said, "Oh, I see. Zeno, Patrick Finch is an external judge for this special grant defense."
Wizard Zeno immediately said to Witch Catherine, "Teacher, so what? Even if he is the President of the White Wizard Association, if the article he published is wrong, it is still wrong."
Witch Catherine said, "I am saying that you should not offend him at this time. You wrote a letter to complain about him; he is a Sun Ring Wizard, and his connections are deeper than yours. He must already know about this matter by now. Originally, you were also working in the Magic Plant Crystallization direction, and you obtaining the special grant would have been beneficial to him as well. But now you have changed this angle that was advantageous to you."
"I am just standing in your interest and considering things for you."
Wizard Zeno stiffened his neck and said, "But Teacher, I will not change my style of doing things because of any point in time. That would be equivalent to saying that I think doing this at this time is wrong, and doing it at another time is right. How can right and wrong differ because of the change of time? Truth is constant."
"Many of Master Patrick Finch's articles are problematic, although they are generally correct. But especially the parts involving that Magic Plant crystallization has life, they are simply full of errors. Teacher, I must fight against them to the end."
Witch Catherine sighed imperceptibly.
"Suit yourself."
"I knew you had this personality from the beginning. Do what you want to do."
"This is the list of projects that Golden Crown Mountain currently needs in the Great Dark World war. I want your Shop Alliance to also participate in the competition for strategic supplies. This is beneficial for both you and me."
She had a conversation with Wizard Zeno.
Witch Catherine said, "Currently, you are the only student below the Sun Ring Wizard level who has mastered my special cultivation method. I need you to go to the Tianjiang Riverbank after the special grant. This is my Peach Heart Curse. With this spell, you can use my special cultivation method..."
"Besides that, the Peach Heart Curse can drive the various wild magical beasts that are loyal to me and command my magical beast legion."
After Wizard Zeno left, Witch Catherine turned to look at a huge magic mirror behind her office. She uncovered the magic mirror, and the face of a wizard shone from within it—it was the old wizard from the ancient era.
Witch Catherine looked at that wizard from the ancient era and fell into thought.
"This old antique can just serve as a pawn of mine."
"The matter between me and Anna... I just happen to have no means to break the deadlock."
...
In the Rose Council, inside Witch Anna's office, the Rose Witch's body trembled, "A breakthrough point in the Academic Lineage War has appeared."
"Witch Catherine is the most protective of her own. She will definitely come into conflict with that unknown existence. If I seize this opportunity, I can surpass her."
The Rose Witch summoned Witch Esther.
Witch Esther bowed to her and said, "Teacher."
The Rose Witch said, "Esther, the key to breaking the deadlock has appeared. The academics under me and Witch Catherine have fought from journals to project applications, and then to market competition. The resources in my hands and hers are being wasted. I cannot stand this consumption. If not for Genesis, I am afraid the scale of this academic war would be even larger."
"I want you to go to the Golden Crown Mountain Region and guide that unknown existence. He does not belong to this era and lacks too much common sense."
Witch Esther was stunned for a moment, and hesitation flashed in her eyes; after all, it was her former employer.
"Teacher, do you want me to divert the trouble?"
The Rose Witch said, "No. That unknown existence will definitely be killed by Witch Catherine. I am sending you to seize the spoils of war. Both my key single project plan and Witch Catherine's require a resource that is difficult to find in this era—the Ancient Dragon Soul. And that wizard is the breakthrough point."
The Rose Witch thought, "Now that I think about it, when Witch Catherine accepted Locke Augustine as a student, I am afraid her intentions were not pure from the beginning. She could not possibly have been unaware of the various histories of students with the Magic Dragon Bloodline suddenly dying in the past."
"She is a wizard of Golden Crown Mountain, and she should have more relevant information in her hands than I do."
"Could it be that Locke was just a piece of bait she used to fish from the beginning to the end?"
"If Witch Catherine gets the Ancient Dragon Soul, her speed in completing the wedding ring will definitely be faster than mine. Currently, I only surpass her in collecting soul dissipation data."
Witch Esther swallowed her saliva.
"But Teacher, I don't think the Red Dragon Witch would be that utilitarian... She was very kind to me before."
The Rose Witch waved her hand.
"That is where you are wrong. No one knows Katya better than I do."
"She and I were once best friends."
"Witch Catherine is very ruthless. She shows more favor to people who are useful to her. If someone is useless to her, she will turn against them in an instant. She is like a cold and ruthless political machine. Personal feelings might exist on her side, but they absolutely cannot interfere with her interests."
"It is precisely because of this that I fell out with her."
The Rose Witch said, "My magic philosophy is that there is love in the human world."
"There is true affection in this world."
The Rose Witch flipped her palm in the air, "There is no love in her magic, while love flows in my magic. Love is above reason and transcends everything, even individual people."
The Rose Witch looked at Witch Esther and said, "Tell me, is my view correct?"
Witch Esther bowed to her and said, "Teacher, I also share your view; love is very important to us."
The Rose Witch nodded.
The Rose Witch handed her a bottle of Dragon Soul Potion from her hand.
"I have designed a special Spell Model to trigger this bottle of Dragon Soul Potion refined by my potion master friend. This is an enhancement, so Katya will find it difficult to defend against."
"She will definitely fall under the effect of the Dragon Soul Potion. Once she is under the effect of this potion, the Dragon Soul on her will possess her."
"She will fall into a crisis. If she wants to get rid of it quickly, she will need to destroy her own Dragon Soul."
"If she destroys her own Dragon Soul, it is equivalent to destroying her own dragon bloodline, and her power will also be greatly reduced."
"Dragons are arrogant creatures. Unless one is a Fourth Ring Wizard, who can say that as a human, they can definitely win against a True Dragon."
AI Model: gemini-3.0-flash
The Rose Witch had a smirk on her face.
"While she's preoccupied, take the Ancient Dragon Soul and leave quickly."
"Don't worry, this is an enhancement. As long as she isn't stupid enough to destroy her own dragon soul, it will actually strengthen her power."
"This potion should be able to strengthen her dragon power to the level of a Throne!"
...
In the Golden Crown Mountain Region, the Demon Dragon Wizard walked to the Seven-Colored Nursery, glancing at the seven colors of flowerbeds in the Seven-Colored Nursery Wizard Academy and the many Magic Plants within them.
A smile appeared on his face.
"I see. It has indeed become much stronger."
"And it has changed greatly. Is it academies that rule this era, rather than the original kingdoms?"
The Demon Dragon Wizard saw long queues at the entrance of the Seven-Colored Nursery Wizard Academy, filled with students wanting to take the entrance exam for the Seven-Colored Nursery.
"Gathering so many wizard geniuses without lifting a finger."
"A good system."
"The original mentorship system and court wizard system have also been submerged in this academy system. This is indeed more capable of consolidating the wizards' centripetal force than the kingdom system."
A question arose in the Demon Dragon Wizard's heart. "Then who is the boss? Where is the order?"
"If those below are allowed to go up and those above are allowed to go down, the whole world will be in chaos, making it no different from the Abyss World. Why can't I see a universal hierarchy here?"
The Demon Dragon Wizard heard the Wizard Apprentices in the long queue talking about what contracts they had signed, how much money they owed, and how many years they planned to spend paying it back in the future.
After the Demon Dragon Wizard finished listening, he was instantly stunned.
"Money?"
"Is that kind of thing so important in this era?"
"Doesn't that mean everyone is a slave to money?"
At this moment, a Crystallized Wizard old man suddenly stood before him with eyes shining.
"My fellow wizard, you must be a Official Wizard; you certainly have a special Magic item that suppresses your magic pressure. I can't feel your magic pressure at all."
"Sigh, don't look at how grand the Seven-Colored Nursery seems; their threshold is extremely high. Their treatment isn't great either."
The Crystallized Wizard old man picked up his contract.
"You're here to apply for a wizard instructor position, right? Why not come and check out our [Five-Colored Manor]? Well, it's just a small wizard university at the moment, but the point is that our university is very vibrant and will definitely develop better in the future. Moreover, as long as you join us, we'll sign a contract-based wizard instructor contract with you..."
"We also provide housing, solving your most important accommodation problem."
The Demon Dragon Wizard was somewhat speechless. "What housing problem?"
The Crystallized Wizard old man thought there was a chance and immediately said, "Hey, although Yunze Wetland hasn't reached the point where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, rooms aren't cheap either. For a better living environment, if you live alone, it would cost at least a hundred thousand magic stones a month, and even better ones could cost hundreds of thousands."
"Otherwise, you can only go and live with mortals."
"If you want a good magic tide gradient environment, you need to join a wizard university to obtain a teaching position and get staff dorms..."
A trace of impatience appeared on the Demon Dragon Wizard's face.
"What on earth?"
"Do you people still have any of the dignity and glory of a Official Wizard?"
The Demon Dragon Wizard turned and left, seemingly provoked.
The Crystallized Wizard old man was stunned for a moment.
"Wait, don't go! Do you think the treatment is too low? It's not low. We provide room and board and a salary as soon as you enter. Oh, and we also provide means of transportation. Everything the big schools have, we have too."
"Wait, how about you name your price. How much salary do you want..."
Hearing about money, the Demon Dragon Wizard walked even faster.
The Crystallized Wizard old man stood in place dissatisfied and mocked him.
"Even if you are a Second Ring Great Wizard, you cannot move an inch without money!"
The Demon Dragon Wizard walked even faster.
Degenerate!
This entire era has degenerated! The wizards who stand above all living beings and shepherd the world, who should be the elites and eternal old aristocracy of this world, are now so mercantilistic, talking about money at every turn.
Where is the honor?
Where is the dignity?
The Demon Dragon Wizard's gaze was subtle.
"This era has completely degenerated. We cannot leave this era to the White Wizard Association. That damn branch tower actually let the White Wizard Association mess things up."
"Wizards are higher lifeforms, a sublimation of mortals; how can they be so similar to mortals?"
"The wizards of this world have all become slaves to money!"
The Demon Dragon Wizard found a magic carriage. He walked over to it and said to the wizard, "I want to go to Golden Crown Mountain."
The wizard was stunned for a moment and then said, "Oh, alright, sir. But it will cost you ten thousand magic stones."
"Ten thousand magic stones?" the Demon Dragon Wizard said. "I have none."
The wizard was stunned again and asked tentatively, "bartering is also fine."
The Demon Dragon Wizard said, "Can't you see I am a higher-ring wizard?"
The wizard was silent for a moment, then took out a pipe from his astral ring, jumped onto the magic carriage, and drove away.
The Demon Dragon Wizard was instantly furious.
"You!"
That ordinary First-Ring Wizard of the Summoning School driving the magic carriage sneered.
"I naturally know you're not a Crystallized Wizard, but a Second Ring Wizard. But you don't even want to pay a single penny yet want to ride my carriage. Am I supposed to hope that by giving you a free ride, I'll get some kind of benefit? Such a stingy High-Ring Wizard is truly rare. If I can't afford to provoke him, can't I at least avoid him?"
The Demon Dragon Wizard was silent for a long time.
"Morals are declining."
"The morality of this era is gone."
...
At Golden Crown Mountain, inside the True Knowledge Institute dorm, Locke closed his eyes and transferred his consciousness to the Three-Cave Plane.
Simultaneously, he condensed a saint incarnation in the Three-Cave Plane. Thus, the sunlight of the entire Three-Cave Plane gathered, and Locke appeared in the square of the city-state established by Orion in the Three Caves World.
Orion immediately brought a large number of Rangers to the square in the center of the city-state.
Orion was now a middle-aged man. The time flow of the Three-Cave Plane had begun to differ from the Wizarding World due to the departure of several wizards.
Locke had only been away for a few months, but for Orion, fifteen years had already passed.
Orion was already a middle-aged man.
He wore a crown and was draped in a bear-skin coat with a bear's head hanging on his shoulder.
That was the head of a magic beast bear.
Because the Forest Sanctuary had entered this Plane, magic creatures had begun to emerge in this Plane.
Furthermore, the Genesis Defect of the Three Caves World had been completed, and the entire world was progressing toward the world it was originally meant to evolve into.
Orion looked at Locke in surprise. "Treant Teacher, you're back. It's been fifteen years, and you've finally returned."
"I saw countless rays of sunlight gathering toward our city-state from afar, like a miracle, and I knew it was you who had returned. Because even the most powerful god in this world could not do such a thing."
"Teacher, you are the most powerful."
Locke looked at Orion. Fifteen years had passed; the inexperienced youth he had first seen had vanished, and he had transformed from a young man into the middle-aged man he was now.
The strong man standing before him now was the strongest Ranger in this world.
Locke glanced at the Rangers behind him who were looking at him with reverence.
In fact, for these Rangers, the enlightenment teacher who first taught them what the Ranger's Way was and guided them into it was Orion.
But soon, if they wanted to continue further, they had to know Locke.
Locke's gaze landed on a boy beside Orion.
Orion pushed him in front of Locke with a grin.
"Teacher, you have a grand-disciple now. Five years after you left, I encountered my true love with the help of the Goddess of Love."
"We gave birth to the fruit of our love."
"I named him Julian. Julian, quickly pay your respects to the greatest Ranger. He is a marksman; as soon as he touches a bow and arrow, he knows how to use them."
Julian stepped out timidly and bowed to Locke.
"Hello, Grandmaster."
"I am Julian."
Locke looked in surprise at this native boy with a buzz cut.
He hadn't expected that he would actually have a grand-disciple.
Things were looking up.
Locke asked Julian, "What do you see when you look at me?"
Julian was cautious, seemingly not daring to speak.
Orion picked him up and held him in his arms.
"Teacher, this child is lucky and grew up in a good environment, so he's a bit shy."
"Come, speak up. This is Papa's teacher. He's also like a father to Papa. Quickly say what you see."
Julian's face flushed red, and he said timidly, "So big. Grandmaster is so tall and big, like a mountain with no end. I feel very discouraged after seeing it; I won't be able to climb over this mountain in my lifetime."
Orion frowned and looked at his child with an angry gaze.
"What nonsense are you talking about, child!"
Locke stopped Orion.
"Wait. This child, like the Demon Wolf Giant, has wizard talent."
Locke glanced over Julian.
"Hmm, a test needs to be done. But I estimate his talent won't be low."
Extreme joy appeared on Orion's face.
"Does that mean he can go to Teacher's world? No, wouldn't it be more meaningful to let him become a Ranger?"
Orion looked at Locke expectantly.
Locke said, "Either is fine. If he becomes a Ranger, he will progress faster."
Although the ceiling is lower.
But if Locke could become an even higher-ring wizard, then there would be no difference between becoming a Ranger or a wizard.
Orion picked up Julian again.
"Then you must become the most powerful Ranger to help Grandmaster!"
Julian didn't quite understand, but he still nodded firmly.
Orion looked at Locke and said, "Treant Teacher, now the entire world consists of Ranger city-states. Everyone undergoes rigorous training in hopes of sensing their own first Leaf of Power from nature."
"I will guard this world well for you."
"Ranger fighting schools have opened in city-states everywhere, and training grounds have been spontaneously established in various places to provide training for the Rangers within the city-states."
"Now the Three Caves World is a holy land for Rangers."
"Teacher, what are you back for this time?"
Locke said, "I want to make it so that this world can stably produce people who are capable of doing what I did just now when I appeared."
Orion blinked.
"Ah? Like Teacher? How is that possible?"