982: Locke: I Created a New Small Industry!
The wizards shifted their gaze to the exhibition area of the Silver-clad Peach Garden, a place they had previously stopped paying attention to. The administrative director had turned into a customer, going around buying Magic Plants from other shops. They saw various types of Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows on display, and even a bright red variety with dragon horns like a fire dragon—the Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrow.
"The ones attacking just now were Magic Plants from the Silver-clad Peach Garden... I thought this Shop Alliance was finished. Didn't they already pack up and sell most of their shops, and didn't most of their original team go over to Olaye's side?"
"Looking at it now, it was a pivot. Their goal might have been to create this kind of Magic Plant."
"What impressive flying Magic Plants. Look at that Magic Pressure conversion flight rate; I feel like it's already close to 3, which is almost the limit for first-ring Magic Plant data. The turning radius of that Stone-Winged Evil Bird flock just now was small enough, but clearly, the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow's turning radius is even smaller. That's why they can strike after the enemy moves; they clearly took flight later, but they could catch up and insert themselves behind the enemy when they were banking and circling..."
The ability to turn more flexibly in the air is a critical capability.
It's like one person driving a car and needing a wide turn, while another can make a very sharp turn; the person with the smaller turning radius will easily overtake the one with the larger one.
This is maneuverability.
Speed, maneuverability, and Magic Pressure conversion flight rate are all vital data points for flying Magic Plants.
Of course, the Attila Lightning Chain mounted on the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow is also the most excellent first-ring School of Evocation spell model. Its attack speed, focus effect, instantaneous strike capability, and overall power have all reached the limits of a first-ring spell model, which is why it could achieve such powerful results.
The moment these Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow arrays appeared, they almost completely crushed the opponent's Stone-Winged Evil Bird flock. The Stone-Winged Evil Birds' greatest advantage—their flight capability—seemed primitive in front of the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows, and they were easily overwhelmed.
They relied on their claws for melee combat, but their speed and maneuverability were inferior to the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows, so they were being completely dominated. The Senior Wizard Tutor from Joseph Reed Hall walked out of the Shop Alliance, squinting his eyes as he looked at the three Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows in the distant sky that were equipped with the Reed Jungle System.
"Is this... Allelopathy? What a unique pineapple-type Magic Plant. I didn't expect someone to actually develop an Air Pineapple Magic Plant to this extent." Air Pineapple Magic Plants were merely parasitic plants, neither powerful nor large, and Breeders rarely gave them a second look. Who would have thought Locke would develop them to this degree?
The Senior Wizard Tutor from Joseph Reed Hall said, "Those Magic Plants... are far more than just excellent flying Magic Plants or combat-type Magic Plants. They... they are equipped with the Reed Jungle System independently developed by our academy."
"Yes, they've been mounted."
The wizards of Joseph Reed Hall all watched the battle in the sky.
"Incredible, they actually managed to take down that hateful Stone-Winged Evil Bird King."
"Once it loses its flight advantage, that raptor is just a beast driven by animalistic instincts."
"The Reed Jungle can actually fly in the sky like this. Right, Sentry Reeds are second-ring Magic Plants. As long as the Sentry Reeds can move rapidly in the sky and increase their detection radius, strictly speaking... those flying Magic Plants will possess the reconnaissance capabilities of second-ring Magic Plants. No matter how fast those second-ring magical creatures fly, they will remain within detection range."
All the wizards were drawn to the battle in the sky. Even many Breeders in the exhibition areas proactively walked out to watch the grand aerial battle. They saw the Stone-Winged Evil Bird flock retreating in defeat, their maneuverability advantage completely gone, unable to escape the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows' pursuit.
With their attributes and capabilities completely outclassed, they had no way to fight back and could only be hunted down one by one by the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows.
The reason was simple: the maneuverability of the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows was simply too good. The only practical flaw was that Locke hadn't expected the Hostility Detection on his scout-type Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows to be quite as useful as he'd hoped. Because the Stone-Winged Evil Birds flew fast and in large numbers, this School of Prophecy scout spell, which worked through Spirit Touch, required scanning individual life forms in the sky one by one to reveal the number of hostile entities. Locke was nearly speechless at the scanning speed.
One had to remember there were a hundred Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows and countless enemies. Without a corresponding means of reconnaissance, he would have to rely entirely on his own micro-management to operate them.
Although this was manageable for him since he possessed the Innate Magic Eye, he could only barely maintain it.
If it were anyone else, an accident would have happened immediately.
However, it wasn't a big problem because he had equipped a No. 3 Reed Jungle System. the Sentry Reeds included in this No. 3 Reed Jungle were indeed quite powerful, capable of accurately detecting the movements of the entire bird flock, including the remaining two bird kings.
"It seems the scout-type Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow I designed was a bit... redundant. No, most wizards can't handle custom-designed scouting well, so it's still useful."
"It's just that using Joseph Reed Hall's No. 3 Reed Jungle reconnaissance system allows for better completion of aerial scouting work."
The Sentry Reeds within the No. 3 Reed Jungle could transform subtle Magic Pressure into specific air currents and amplify them into massive gusts. These could then be interpreted as positional information by the Reed Hall wizards through Enchantment Arrays, passed to the Water-Arrow Reeds, and likewise transmitted to the Multi-Eyed Air Pineapples.
In the sky, the second bird king glared sideways at the dozen or so Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows behind it. It let out a roar, but dozens of Attila Lightning Chains rained down. These Attila Lightning Chains could stack damage, so even though they were only first-ring crystallization-level spell models, their superior performance and numerical advantage allowed them to strike its wings, causing the bird king to plummet directly from the sky.
"Even though the bird king is a second-ring creature and my Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows have no speed advantage, by relying on the information reconnaissance advantage of the mounted No. 3 Reed system, I can lock onto the bird king's position in advance, predict its flight path, set an ambush, and attack. This really tests one's operational skills."
Locke mused.
Strictly speaking, the power of these Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow arrays could pose a threat even to a Second-Ring Wizard through numerical superiority. Having the ability to force back a Second-Ring Wizard was the entire point of this academy-level deployment.
But it really depended on the operation.
After all, right now it was a Star Ring Wizard like himself operating them. A person's strength depends on their overall level, and these Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow arrays only possessed the potential to threaten a Second-Ring Wizard under extreme operational conditions.
But this was like a paradox. Generally, a First-Ring Wizard couldn't achieve such extreme operations, while a Second-Ring Wizard was far stronger than a magical creature of the same level.
Under normal circumstances, only a wizard at the second-ring level could perform such extreme operations.
Then again, this was a weapons demonstration. Everyone knows the feeling of buying something only to find that when they use it, it's nowhere near as good as it was during the demonstration.
At this moment, Locke maneuvered a Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow equipped with a Whomping Willow to ambush the final bird king's necessary flight path. Unlike the No. 3 Reed Jungle, the reconnaissance Magic Plant in this Premium Edition Whomping Willow system was a first-ring Magic Plant, while the Whomping Willow itself was second-ring. It was normal that it had performed poorly before, as Locke felt the design logic of the wizards from Dalton Woodland was quite bizarre.
This was because the same Magic Plant performed entirely differently when used by a wizard versus when it acted on its own. The No. 3 Reed Jungle at least utilized Sentry Reeds and pre-set Enchantment Arrays to drive the Water-Arrow Reeds using pre-set magic from multiple directions.
But the Premium Edition Whomping Willow system was another story. The Foam Willow's scouting ability was mediocre, and the foam it spat out had almost negligible ability to drive the Whomping Willow or activate the Enchantment Arrays on its surface.
In other words, the Whomping Willow system essentially relied on the Whomping Willow to react and attack enemies spontaneously, which was little different from a wild Magic Plant. This was what led to the tragedy in the Dalton Woodland exhibition hall earlier.
At least based on the development of the two systems he had seen with his own eyes, the skill level of the wizard team from Joseph Reed Hall was above that of the Dalton Woodland team. Of course, it could also be because the Dalton Woodland team primarily considered ground combat and believed that the Whomping Willow's indiscriminate lashing of its branches on the ground was sufficient, requiring no detailed control or adjustment.
But now, under the combined effect of Locke's use of the Multi-Eyed Pineapple and the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow platform, this second-ring Whomping Willow finally redeemed its reputation. A single whip of its willow branch struck the bird king directly out of the sky.
The wizards on the ground watched the aerial battle unfold, one after another. The Dalton Woodland wizards looked on with excitement; some even clenched their fists and let out a "Yes!"
A Lecturer Mage at the gasification stage from Dalton Woodland fell into confusion. "Our Whomping Willow is actually this powerful?"
The Senior Wizard Tutor from Dalton Woodland, holding a Trident Sea King Willow, thought for a moment and said, "It's mainly the buff from that flying Magic Plant. Not just our Whomping Willow, but also Joseph Reed Hall's Sentry Reeds seem to have been enhanced."
"In my eyes, these Magic Plants from the Silver-clad Peach Garden are definitely not just ordinary flying Magic Plants or combat Magic Plants. They should be called... what?"
President Fura walked over and looked at the Dalton Woodland Senior Wizard Tutor with great interest, asking, "What are they?"
On the other side, the wizard tourists cried out in surprise, "Here they come again!"
A group of Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows suddenly appeared above the three bird kings that had been knocked to the ground.
Under Locke's control, the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows equipped with the Lingding Ocean Colony flew over the bird kings. Then, the Crying Orchids gathered Glazed Tear Frost Orbs, which rained down on the bird kings, finishing them off.
With that, almost the entire flock of evil birds had been wiped out by the Silver-clad Peach Garden's flying Magic Plant arrays.
The entire process had only taken fifteen minutes.
The three wizards from the Calamity Fire Alliance were very excited to see this.
"They used our Lingding Ocean Colony! It's the first time I've seen such a flexible Lingding Ocean Colony; this has already surpassed the colony's original power."
"We have to thank Wizard Locke Augustine. He used our Lingding Ocean Colony in front of everyone and achieved such a great result. Don't Magic Plant weapons rely on their track record? He is the benefactor of our Calamity Fire Alliance!"
By now, the wizard tourists had also realized that the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow could mount the excellent products of various Shop Alliances and even bring out performance levels exceeding their original specs. Furthermore, it allowed all the Magic Plant colonies to possess high maneuverability, even if high in the sky these colonies didn't appear to be connected to each other or planted in the same ecological soil.
While they didn't know how this was achieved, a very small number of people noticed the Multi-Eyed Air Pineapples.
The senior wizard mentor from Dalton Woodland said, "That's right. That isn't just a Magic Plant; it's a platform. It's a platform that allows the ace Magic Plants of every house to be mounted upon it. Locke Augustine... this wizard actually turned a flying Magic Plant into a platform. Incredible, such a highly imaginative idea. This is the future..."
President Fura's eyes widened. She grabbed her white ponytail and began thinking seriously.
"A platform... every flying Magic Plant is the best kind of platform, capable of carrying other people's weapons."
"Exactly, this is a platform. This is the weapon I've been looking for."
The local White Wizard Association was short on funds, and what little remained had to be spent where it mattered most. She might even have to borrow from some wizards and the Shop Alliance.
President Fura pondered, "I originally intended to purchase positional defense Magic Plant communities from external sources, but the operational costs and various other expenses would skyrocket. Furthermore, there's the risk of leaking planar information. However, if I can procure these flying Magic Plants, I can strengthen the Magic Plant systems developed by our local academies. I could then buy Magic Plants from those local academies. There are many benefits: it saves money, increases security, supports local academies, and by purchasing Magic Plant systems from them, I can make deals to have them cede more rights to the Association."
President Fura felt that today was simply too wonderful.
She had found two treasures: one was Witch Rose's Rose Building model, and the other was Locke's flying Magic Plant platform model. With these two, the White Wizard Association along the Tianjiang Coast would be greatly bolstered, and their original financial crisis might even be resolved.
President Fura's heart wavered.
"In that case, I can purchase local Magic Plant systems. I can trade professional titles with those wizard academies for Magic Plant resources. If that doesn't work, I can immediately establish some empty Association-level honors, like awarding them worthless titles like World Celebrity, World Charitable Great Wizard, World's Most Beautiful Witch, Tianjiang Coast Great Scholar, or World's Greatest Scholar, and use these to trade for the Magic Plants in the hands of the local wizard academies."
"As long as they are local wizards, there's room for negotiation."
One must understand that the White Wizard Association's five major economic pillars were as follows: the first was membership fees, but because the number of Second-Ring Wizards along the Tianjiang Coast was low, this portion of the budget wasn't very high. The second pillar was the various directly managed industries and investments, but for some reason, these industries consistently suffered losses that could never be traced. The third pillar was the right to distribute student enrollment in many regions, which allowed them to host many competitions; these could all be turned into commercial competitions to increase income.
Or, they could trade directly with those wizard academies by openly selling the affiliation rights of outstanding students.
However, because the enrollment distribution rights for many regions along the Tianjiang Coast were tied to the Three Kings Competition and the Starry Sea—and were currently entrusted by the Starry Sea to the winner of the Three Kings Competition, Golden Crown Mountain—they had lost that portion of distribution rights. Furthermore, the commercial profits of the Three Kings Competition belonged to the Starry Sea. This left only the last two pillars: one was the income from the Wizard Secret Realm, mainly from fees paid by major academies and subsidies from the White Wizard headquarters; the other was the subsidies received from superiors for maintaining various levels of laboratories, especially Key Laboratories.
And these last two pillars essentially generated no profit.
Whether it was the Key Laboratories or the Wizard Secret Realm, the annual losses likely exceeded the earnings.
This led to the White Wizard Association along the Tianjiang Coast being in a state of severe financial depletion. To open up a colonial world for this wizard territory, President Fura was truly pushing her five-hundred-year-old bones to the limit, using all sorts of unorthodox methods just to scrape together some money. The senior wizard mentor from Dalton Woodland kept nodding. "As expected of a Magic Plant created by that genius Breeder from the Cloud Marsh. Thinking what others dare not think, doing what others dare not do—I am truly impressed by the level of Breeding Science in the Cloud Marsh. The gap between our Breeders and theirs is quite large; we still have a lot of room for improvement."
On the other side, the wizards of Joseph Reed Hall were also full of praise for the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow Magic Plant platform, acting as if they were going to tout it as the number one Magic Plant in the history of the Tianjiang Coast.
"This set of Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow platforms from Silver-clad Peach Garden can directly bring that ancient Shop Alliance back to life. The value and significance of this Magic Plant are simply too great. Every Magic Plant we've developed and bred can be mounted on this sort of Magic Plant to gain flight capabilities. I wonder how he thought of it?"
"Is he currently the highest-level Breeder in the Tianjiang Coast wizard territory? This single work alone can directly resurrect Silver-clad Peach Garden from the brink of total decline. Terrifying."
"Wait, but didn't we say before that Witch Rose from Olaye had the strongest breeding level in the Tianjiang Coast wizard territory? Now..." "That was then, and this is now. The Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow... my hands are itching. Aren't you curious? What kind of sparks would fly if your own Magic Plants were mounted on a Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow platform? Witch Rose's Three-Colored Rose Dart Branch is merely powerful, and her commercial building concept has nothing to do with Breeding Science, but Locke Augustine's Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow platform can slightly change the work and even the lifestyle of us Breeders."
An old wizard at the Gasification Stage from Joseph Reed Hall stroked his gray beard and said, "I dare to guarantee, using the credibility I've built up teaching students for two hundred years, that the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow is a Magic Plant far more formidable than any of us imagine."
"Though my magic level isn't high, I've lived long and seen much."
"In the future, many Breeders will surely depend on the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow for their livelihoods."
"Genius truly has the greatest impact on this world."
On the other side, Witch Rose listened to everyone's praise for Locke Augustine. She clenched her fists, then looked at Wizard Joshua with a cold gaze that instantly made him feel a chill down his spine.
Wizard Joshua said, "This... wait..."
He immediately felt Witch Rose's dissatisfaction and a faint killing intent directed at him. He knew Witch Rose was harsh and lacked kindness; she had zero patience for wizards she looked down upon.
"Wait, Lady Rose, there can't be an issue with my data projections... but that's assuming there are no anomalous data sources in the projections. Geniuses are inherently difficult to predict. Locke Augustine's talent in Breeding Science has already reached a level I've never seen before. He will definitely become a Sun-Ring Wizard and a pivotal Breeder in the Cloud Marsh in the future; it's only a matter of time... You..."
Witch Rose's gaze became increasingly unfriendly.
"Are you saying his talent in Breeding Science far exceeds mine?"
Wizard Joshua waved his hands hurriedly. "No, no. It's just that Breeding Science is his primary core research direction, while your primary core research direction is Alchemy School Textile Studies, isn't it?"
Witch Rose raised an eyebrow.
"I don't care about that. No matter the field, I will never be inferior to anyone in my life."
Witch Rose scanned the various designers from Olaye behind her. Among them were many wizards she had poached from Silver-clad Peach Garden; at this moment, she saw fear, regret, and hesitation in their eyes.
Clearly, this group of people had begun to doubt whether they should have jumped ship.
"A bunch of useless trash."
Witch Rose thought, "Once this matter is over, I'll fire all these fence-sitters. They have no ability anyway and are just drawing pay for doing nothing."
"It's not that I'm harsh; the problem is that most people simply don't deserve for me not to be harsh to them."
Witch Rose looked toward where Locke was. "Locke... you..."
Witch Rose's pupils suddenly constricted as a crimson hue appeared in her eyes, which were filled with madness.
"Locke Augustine, I knew it wouldn't be that easy to finish you off. The Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow... a weapon platform. To think you could come up with such a Magic Plant."
"In this way, the Magic Plant retail ecosystem of the Tianjiang Coast will be changed. No, it's not just changing the ecosystem; if I changed the ecosystem of the Magic Plant retail industry, then he is attempting to create a new niche industry, finding his own small blue ocean within the cracks of numerous traditional industries."
"Just like the pure Magic Plant Wizard Shoes."
"No wonder you survived the suppression of Solas Lightfoot and Melechi Magic Step back then."
Witch Rose's gaze was strange. "Only, you shouldn't have used me as a stepping stone, and you shouldn't have used this dance I painstakingly prepared for my opening ceremony as a showcase for your Silver-clad Peach Garden."
"Locke, you've truly offended me this time."
A loud boom echoed through the sky.
Three Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrows, controlled by the Multi-eyed Pineapple Monocle Locke wore over his right eye, were besieging the Abyssal Spine-Sword Giant Dragon in the sky.
The Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrow's dragon horn special imaginary root absorbed Golden spirit breath and then continuously spat out special Red Dragon breath toward it. The Abyssal Spine-Sword Giant Dragon roared in pain repeatedly.
The purplish-black sword-bone spikes on the back of the Abyssal Spine-Sword Dragon emitted a cold radiance. It gathered a massive amount of abyssal energy, then suddenly opened its maw and spat Abyssal Dragon Breath Fireballs toward the three Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrows.
However, the Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrows let out a series of sharp cries and then scattered, dodging the fireballs.
Wizard Terence found Locke and whispered, "Lord Locke, our weapon demonstration this time has been very shocking. It's about time to stop, or we'll end up showing our hand. I just saw Witch Rose order ten wizards she hired from the School of Summoning to use Books of Summoning to summon even more Stone-Winged Evil Bird swarms, all of which are apprentice-level. The number of Attila Lightning Chains mounted on our Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows is limited, and we've basically exhausted them. If this continues, we'll start taking combat losses."
"Although most wizards would surely understand that any combat losses would be due to the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow running out of ammunition, we are, after all, doing a weapon demonstration for sales. If losses occur, I believe it will reflect poorly on us."
"Lord Augustine."
Locke said, "Continue using the summoning arrays to summon more Stone-Winged Evil Birds. Don't worry, we won't run out of ammunition. You'll soon find out why."
Wizard Terence was stunned for a moment before relaying Locke's words to Witch Biki and the other employees of Silver-clad Peach Garden.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Witch Rose saw Locke and the others' movements and was taken aback. "They're still summoning? The capacity for that lightning magic shouldn't be that large; it should have hit rock bottom by now. Even if it hasn't, the magic energy stored in a Magic Plant like the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow can't possibly be inexhaustible."
Witch Rose considered whether to stop supplying the Books of Summoning to interrupt Silver-clad Peach Garden's demonstration, because she was essentially spending her own money to perform weapon tests for Silver-clad Peach Garden and providing them with a launch event advertisement in the process.
Originally, the reason she had made such a grand spectacle was for fear that if the model organisms used for testing were too low-level, Locke might pull out a decent Magic Plant to turn the tables. Thus, she had specifically brought out such high-level model organisms and had even pre-tested them with the Magic Plant weapons developed on her side. She hadn't expected this situation to occur anyway.
In the end, the tables had been turned on her.
Across the crowd of wizards, Locke and Witch Rose locked eyes from a distance.
AI Model: deepseek-chat
Witch Rose brushed aside the hair on her forehead, casting a cold and displeased gaze at Locke, then gritted her teeth.
Wizard Joshua seized the opportunity to say, 'Lady Rose, let's summon the Stone-Winged Evil Birds. According to my data calculations, their Magic Plants have exhausted the lightning magic they carried. If we persist for just ten more minutes, the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow will suffer combat losses. That way, we can at least greatly diminish the public favor they have gained from this Magic Plant weapon demonstration.'
Witch Rose nodded. 'Agreed. Order those wizards from the Summoning School to increase the number of summons for me!'
At the same time, high in the sky, Locke noticed that the ten wizards from the Summoning School had increased the number of summons. He immediately smiled dismissively. The Abyssal Ridge-Sword Dragon plummeted from the sky, crashing onto the hundredth-floor ground of the Rose Building. It rose from the passageways between the various exhibition areas, then roared towards the heavens, the spines protruding from its back gathering abyssal energy. Standing on the ground, it spewed abyssal flames from its mouth. But at that very moment, a Golden Tree descended from the sky. The shimmering light of its golden leaves shed countless leaf blades, each one imbued with spirit macro. Following that, a Moon of Evolution appeared behind the Golden Tree.
Tree and Moon Align in the Sky!
A shower of golden leaf light fell. The original Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrow—one became two, three became six.
Six Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrows surrounded it. In the next moment, a special red dragon's fiery breath erupted, engulfing the Abyssal Ridge-Sword Dragon. The dragon let out a single cry of agony before collapsing directly.
The wizards present, seeing Locke take the matter slightly more seriously, immediately became solemn. The methods displayed by Locke's Great Magic were indeed somewhat unfathomable.
Witch Rose also carefully scrutinized the Tree of Prosperity and the Moon of Evolution.
'He didn't use his full strength. What would happen if he used both the tree and the moon simultaneously?'
'Is my Great Magic, Spider Paradise, a match for him? Moreover, the Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrow is likely just a second-ring flying Magic Plant, not his true main combat Magic Plant.'
Elsewhere, many wizards were approaching the Silver-clad Peach Garden.
These wizards were basically all from the various Shop Alliances. Their purpose here was simple: they wanted to use Locke's Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow system to mount their own Magic Plants on it, then have Locke control them to wreak havoc. This would achieve the same promotional effect as when Locke used the Magic Plant system previously developed by the three Shop Alliances.
Admittedly, achieving the same effect as before at this time was unlikely. But if you didn't do it, others would want to. Those wizards who didn't act and the Magic Plants they developed would suffer.
Thus, a line began to form at the Silver-clad Peach Garden—wizards queuing up to pay and obtain Locke's approval to have their developed Magic Plant systems mounted.
A long queue appeared in front of the originally deserted exhibition area of the Silver-clad Peach Garden.
Many wizards even began quarreling in an attempt to cut in line.
'Move aside, move aside! Our Joseph Reed Hall needs to discuss business with the Silver-clad Peach Garden. You solo wizards, get out of my way!' 'We were here first! Please queue up!'
Wizard Terence hurriedly tried to maintain order.
'Everyone must queue up, one by one. Mr. Augustine has stated that to secure an opportunity for mounting on the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow platform, each party must pay five hundred thousand magic stones. Furthermore, we need to pre-review the characteristics of your Magic Plant system. If it's too poor, even if you pay, it cannot be mounted.' A group of Breeders were somewhat dumbfounded. Many less confident Breeders clearly hadn't expected there to be a threshold—money alone couldn't guarantee mounting. And mounting for a single demonstration actually required a direct payment of five hundred thousand magic stones.
Standing outside the long queue of wizards, three Second-Ring Wizards from the Flame Raiders Alliance immediately felt relieved. They were glad that the 'Lingding Ocean Community' they had developed had gained the attention of Locke Augustine and had been pre-mounted on the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow.
Wizard Terence, on the other hand, was beaming with joy, his previously perpetually gloomy expression completely changed. This time, the Silver-clad Peach Garden had finally been brought back from the brink. Witch Biki, meanwhile, seemed to be witnessing a scene from the Silver-clad Peach Garden's most prosperous era.
At the same time, the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrows in the sky descended one after another. Wizard Terence and Witch Biki quickly mounted the Magic Plant weapons from the various shops onto them, and then they spiraled back up into the sky, rejoining the attack against the evil bird flocks.
In this way, the original problem of ammunition depletion was also resolved due to the eagerness of the various wizards to seek cooperation. Witch Rose watched all this with an ugly expression.
She cast an unfriendly look at Wizard Joshua.
Wizard Joshua wiped the sweat from his forehead. He kept flipping through the notebook in his hands, looking at the results he had calculated. What was going on?
Why did the actual situation completely diverge from what he had predicted based on the data he had collected?
Why?
Witch Rose said through gritted teeth, 'Actually, while working with you, I noticed one thing: the foolishness of your so-called data collection and observation method. So-called data is merely the collection of past information. While you try to understand what is happening now through data, your perspective is often confined to that past data. But the problem is, all sorts of things happen in reality—things that are unpredictable.' 'Your data prediction method becomes inaccurate as soon as it's interfered with by something you cannot comprehend. Like the Magic Plant platform Locke has brought out now. What I mean, Joshua, is that you are fired by me. Not just fired, you will also face legal issues.' Witch Rose pointed at his nose coldly.
Wizard Joshua's lips turned pale.
'Wait, Lady Rose, I am your key support personnel in Olaye. Without my data talent observation method, how can you continue to manage Olaye?'
Witch Rose curled the corner of her mouth maliciously.
'You'd better accept this outcome. If you don't, do you know what will happen? Don't threaten me with Olaye.' Wizard Joshua's pupils suddenly contracted. Then he let out a heavy sigh, weakly dropped the notebook in his hand, and knelt on the ground, beginning to think. He knew how ruthless Witch Rose could be.
He knew Witch Rose would never keep failures around.
He knew her methods. If he dared to refuse, dared to make a fuss, what awaited him would be... the dark endings he had seen befall other wizards.
The dark side of Witch Rose was truly terrifying.
Ordinary Black Wizards, in comparison, were like minor sorcerers facing a great one.
Witch Rose swept her gaze over President Fura, gnashing her teeth.
'Fura.'
Logically, she had provided President Fura with the idea for breaking through to become a Moon Ring Wizard, giving her a glimmer of hope. Later, they had even become close friends, good companions.
But Witch Rose knew that this witch, President Fura, was someone whose eyes couldn't be torn away from benefits once she saw them. So-called friendship, so-called friends—in the face of profit, they were merely commodities to be priced and sold.
'Ungrateful wretch. Forget it, I never had any real friendship with her anyway. She was just someone I used.' Witch Rose suppressed the malice in her heart, then allowed President Fura to walk towards Locke.
Meanwhile, on Locke's side, wizards from the White Ice Tower, the Tide Great Wizard Tower, and the White Wizard Association appeared simultaneously. These wizards seemed to be crowding around Locke, all seemingly eager to discuss cooperation with him.
A wizard from the White Ice Tower said to Locke, 'Mr. Augustine, our White Ice Tower is the most powerful Wizard Academy specializing in the School of Evocation along the Tianjiang Coast, and we also have in-depth research in umbrella magic. In my capacity as Chief Wizard Instructor, I would like to invite you and the Silver-clad Peach Garden to visit our White Ice Tower for an academic exchange conference.'
'We can also discuss how to cooperate...'
The wizard from the Tide Great Wizard Tower, on the other hand, flushed red with frustration. Witch Rose's sudden alignment with the White Ice Tower had already given them a psychological shadow. So, a Second-Ring Wizard from the Tide Great Wizard Tower immediately shouted, 'Mr. Augustine, don't listen to him. We are prepared to jointly establish a laboratory with you for the research and development of the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow and the Da Ming Li Dragon Sparrow.'
'Whether it's rent or equipment, we can provide the best supplies.'
The gazes of the two groups of wizards instantly met, sparking with astonishing hostility towards each other.
On another side, the wizards from the Summoning School responsible for maintaining the Book of Summonings were each struggling, having reached their limits from continuous summoning.
These wizards began shouting at the top of their lungs, wanting Witch Rose to order the deactivation of the summoning array on the Book of Summonings.
Seeing this, Witch Rose had no choice but to say, 'Deactivate the summoning array. This opening ceremony...'
Upon hearing Witch Rose's command, the wizards didn't even wait for her to finish speaking. They immediately began chanting incantations and making gestures, attempting to deactivate the magic arrays on the Books of Summonings.
But at that moment, the ten Books of Summonings surrounding the exhibition area did not stop.
Both Witch Rose and Locke—two White Wizards rich in combat experience—instantly noticed the abnormality of this scene. Most of the other White Wizards, however, clearly hadn't yet detected the problem. Unaware, they continued trying to speak with Locke or queue up for the chance to have their developed Magic Plants mounted on the Great Green-Leaf Dragon Sparrow.
The ten wizards from the Summoning School looked at the Books of Summonings floating before them and froze.
'This is... a higher-level summon?'
'Who is it trying to summon? Has the magic gone out of control?'
Locke immediately looked across the distance at Witch Rose. Witch Rose shook her head at Locke, indicating that this scene was not arranged by her. Locke clasped his hands behind his back, immediately realizing that even without his presence today, someone intended to make Witch Rose's opening ceremony a complete mess, rendering all her efforts and credibility worthless.
Witch Rose also realized this point, a murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
'Ridiculous. Let's see what tricks the rats in the gutter can come up with.'
Locke observed the situation.
'To completely bankrupt Olaye's credibility is simple: just have a few wizards die during its commercial opening ceremony.'
'No matter how ingenious your plan is, if people die, it's all useless. Others will no longer believe you.'
Witch Rose glanced at Locke across the distance.
Locke smiled.
'Am I being caught in the crossfire? No, at this point, I've already hijacked this stage, so my involvement isn't unexpected. Wizards who use such methods usually aren't very capable. I thought of such a simple thing long ago. I just couldn't be bothered to use it.'
But just who was behind it?