Professor Olde seemed afraid Locke might change his mind. After shoving a materials list and refining process into Locke's hands, he left without looking back. "Come find me anytime this week, you're always welcome. Dear Locke."
Locke frowned slightly as he examined the black leather notebook in his hands. His gaze lingered on the bloodstain-like smudge on its surface, but after a moment's consideration, he tucked it away and strode briskly toward Dean Tungus's office.
Olde's offer did hold genuine appeal for him.
Mastering an additional Spell and boosting his mental strength before boarding the Wizard Ship would be advantageous.
Moreover, with his dual primary elemental affinities, focusing solely on plant magic development while neglecting Dark Magic would be a waste.
Still too inexperienced on the wizard's path, Locke decided to seek Tungus's counsel.
Upon arriving at the dean's office, Locke found Patty already present, along with a pigtailed girl of about ten chatting cheerfully with Dean Tungus.
All three turned when Locke knocked and entered. The dean's face lit up with pleasant surprise. "Locke! Congratulations on becoming a third-class wizard apprentice!"
"This is wonderful news!"
"We'll hold a celebration banquet tonight in your honor."
Patty blinked in astonishment before regarding Locke with complex, envious eyes. As the newest member of their society, he'd somehow become the first to advance to third-class apprentice status—officially crossing into wizardhood.
Comparing her second-tier talent to Locke's third-tier, Patty sighed inwardly. In the wizarding world, the chasm between talent levels was truly despair-inducing.
If the gap between second and third tier was this vast, what about fourth or fifth?
How immense must the learning speed differences be between her and these prodigies?
"Congratulations, Locke," Patty offered.
Locke nodded. "Patty, I'm sure you and Code will advance soon too. Keep at it."
His words provided some encouragement. Patty straightened, rejuvenated. "Thank you."
"That's precisely why I came to the dean for help. With Dean Tungus explaining scorching spark to me, my progress has accelerated significantly."
Dean Tungus probed Locke with his mental energy. Though Locke's Mana couldn't fully repel the dean's power, it automatically shielded him.
The dean nodded approvingly. "Without proper instruments here in Corfu, we can't conduct precise measurements of your Mana."
"Once aboard the Wizard Ship, you'll have means to accurately gauge your current mental strength and Mana levels."
"Based on my experience, your mental strength likely ranges between 11 to 13 points—higher than average for third-class apprentices. Moreover, your Mana shows remarkable purity."
"This proves your diligent studies these past two years haven't been wasted."
"Your first plant magic was completed quite well, so your mental strength is relatively high."
Dean Tungus smiled and said, "To be honest, your learning speed has truly exceeded my expectations."
"If I didn't know that you couldn't possibly have access to any magical resources on Corfu Island to accelerate your growth, I would have thought you'd used many expensive and rare magical aids on yourself."
Locke thought of the Deep Blue Gem, but he couldn't explain how he had obtained so many magical gems on the low-magic island of Corfu, so he chose to remain silent.
Dean Tungus pointed to the little girl beside him and said, "By the way, Locke, I haven't introduced her to you yet."
The little girl next to Dean Tungus looked up curiously at Locke, her eyes filled with mischief, awe, and intense curiosity.
Locke said, "I was just about to ask, teacher, who is this…"
Patty smiled and said, "This is Dean Tungus's newly adopted goddaughter. Since you've been in seclusion completing your Spell all this time, we didn't get a chance to inform you."
Dean Tungus said, "Yes. You, Code, and Patty will be leaving Corfu Island in three months, leaving an old man like me alone on this remote little island, with no one from my familiar world by my side."
"My students are all leaving."
"That would be far too lonely for an old man like me."
"So, I adopted a daughter."
"That way, I can at least have a bit of a sense of home here."
Dean Tungus smiled and said, "Yulian Frank is a very lovely girl, and she is also the sixth princess of the Frank Empire. But her father voluntarily gave her to me as my daughter…"
"Yulian, quickly greet Mr. Locke. Locke is my most outstanding student."
Yulian hurriedly stepped forward from beside Dean Tungus, slightly bending her knees and lifting the hem of her princess dress with her small hands to perform a curtsy. "Brother Locke, I look forward to your guidance in the future."
Locke nodded indifferently at her, his expression neither warm nor cold.
Clearly, this Yulian Frank, though only about ten years old, was not as innocent and simple as she appeared.
For her to willingly give up her status as a princess of the Frank Empire and become Dean Tungus's daughter, her motives were likely not pure.
But Dean Tungus must have already considered all this himself, so since he didn't say anything, there was nothing for Locke to add.
Seeing that Locke wasn't particularly interested in her, a flash of frustration crossed Yulian's eyes.
Before coming here, her biological father, the Emperor of the Farak Empire, had instructed her not to offend any of the wizards here and to strive to win the favor of all of them for the sake of her homeland.
Especially Dean Tungus.
So, upon seeing Locke, Yulian had been eager to capture his attention and make him view the Farak Empire favorably.
Unfortunately, Locke was completely different from Patty and Code—he showed no interest in her at all.
This made Yulian feel somewhat uneasy, afraid that she had incurred Locke's dislike.
Yulian said somewhat pitifully, "Uncle Locke..."
Locke's eyes flashed with impatience. He had come here to see Dean Tungus, not to chat with this overly self-important little princess.
Dean Tungus coughed and, unusually, reprimanded Yulian. "Yulian, you're the junior here. You shouldn't address Locke by name—you should call him Uncle Augustine."
"Alright, Yulian, you may leave now."
Dean Tungus still knew his priorities. To him, Yulian Frank was less like a daughter and more like a pet.
Locke, on the other hand, was currently his most outstanding student.
In the future, when Locke entered the Wizard World, he would become one of Dean Tungus's connections, and his family would benefit from Locke's influence.
Thus, he wouldn't let a mere pet cause any trouble for his prized student.
Yulian sensed the cold indifference hidden beneath Dean Tungus's words—a profound disdain wizards held for ordinary people, an insurmountable gap.
So, she trembled slightly, curtsied gracefully to everyone in the office, apologized with a choked voice, and quickly left.
Locke turned to Dean Tungus. "Teacher Tungus, I wanted to ask—what else do I need to do in the next three months?"
Dean Tungus thought for a moment and smiled. "Nothing much, really."
"In such a short time, I can't teach you a second spell."
"Besides, most of my focus will be on Patty. Neither she nor Code has completed their first spell model yet."
The implication was clear—Dean Tungus would devote his main efforts to Patty, while Code was more or less left to his own devices.
After all, as long as one had Wizard Talent, even if it was just a bundled deal, they could still join a wizard organization—though the prestige of that organization might vary.
Code's wizard aptitude was only at the first level, the lowest possible, so Dean Tungus had half-given up on improving his results, leaving him to fend for himself. Instead, he decided to focus on Patty in these final three months.
This wasn't something to blame Dean Tungus for—the Wizard World had always been this cold and pragmatic.
Locke nodded. This didn't differ much from what Olde had told him earlier. Glancing at Patty, he carefully asked, "Olde wants me to help him brew a potion. Teacher, here's the name of the potion he wants."
"Do you think I should agree?"
Dean Tungus took the black notebook Locke handed him and glanced at it. "Hmm, just as I thought—Stone Crab Bloodline Essence Potion."
"His lifespan must have reached its limit. Repeatedly using the Life-borrowing Ritual from Necromancy forcibly extended his life, but it polluted his Mana and pushed his already weakened body to the brink."
"So now he wants to use the Stone Crab Bloodline Essence Potion to modify his Bloodline, strengthen his human body, and rely on the magic creature's Bloodline from the Wizard World to enhance himself."
Dean Tungus sighed. "His own Mana is too chaotic now—he has no choice but to ask for your help."
"Since he's violated who knows how many of the academy's laws, he doesn't trust me anymore. He thinks I'd act against him to uphold the academy's rules."
"I've actually been trying to tolerate him as much as possible. Life isn't easy for any of us, so I wouldn't push things to extremes unless absolutely necessary."
Locke asked, "But if I really can help him successfully brew the potion, could Olde extend his lifespan because of it?"
Dean Tungus shook his head. "This is your first attempt—the chances of success are extremely low. Potion brewing requires exceptionally stable mana control, which demands both innate talent and at least ten years of rigorous practice."
"Unless you use expensive resources to forcibly limit mana fluctuations within a certain range."
"But even if you miraculously succeed, his outcome still wouldn't be favorable."
Dean Tungus continued, "This is essentially biological modification of one's own body. While it's something a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice can technically attempt, it normally requires decades of preparation and careful planning. Otherwise, you risk turning yourself into a monster—or even losing your sanity completely."
"He's too impatient."
"I don't hold much hope for him."
After a moment's thought, Dean Tungus added, "However, I believe he'll offer you substantial rewards for this transaction, so you might as well proceed."
"After all, he's providing all the materials—you won't be at a loss. Even if everything fails, you'll gain valuable experience."
Dean Tungus smiled. "Having potion-brewing experience before boarding the Wizard Ship could become your unique advantage."
"You're already leaning toward plant magic. If you also have potion-making experience, you might just catch the eye of some Potionology-focused wizard organizations."
Locke nodded thoughtfully.
Dean Tungus said, "Look at it this way—Olde actually has very little leverage over you now."
"While his mana reserves are greater than yours, and he knows more tricks with a wider selection of spells, he's simply too old."
"Even if he flew into a rage and tried to harm you, he wouldn't stand a chance against you."
"He'd only be asking for trouble."
After hearing Dean Tungus's analysis, Locke felt more resolved—he could agree to this deal.
Locke glanced at Patty, then said, "By the way, Dean Tungus, there's another personal matter I'd like to consult you about."
Patty tactfully excused herself from the office.
Dean Tungus regarded Locke warmly. "Go ahead."
Locke produced the black iron ring he'd obtained from Earl Augustine—the keepsake left by his original body's mother.
He hadn't shown it before because he didn't understand what the ring represented.
But now that he'd become a wizard apprentice and developed a deep mentor-student relationship with Dean Tungus over these two years, he decided to ask whether the dean recognized this ring.
Dean Tungus took the ring and asked curiously, "Hmm, it appears to be an ordinary ring. What about it?"
"Wait—"
The dean quickly noticed something amiss. When his mana touched the ring, it showed no reaction whatsoever—as if completely insulated.
Dean Tungus realized this ring was extraordinary.
Their mana was immensely powerful—ordinary objects would always react when touched by it.
But this seemingly ordinary ring was far more than it appeared. It was incredibly sturdy and almost completely impervious to Mana, as if it were an insulator against magical energy.
This meant the ring was extremely durable and difficult to damage.
After careful examination, Dean Tungus returned the ring to Locke, his tone turning serious. "Locke, keep this ring well hidden. Try not to show it casually within the Wizard World from now on."
"This ring isn't a magical item, but the material it's made from is highly unusual—it's likely Stillness Iron."
"That's a type of magical insulator, an exceedingly expensive magical material. Even for official wizards, it's prohibitively costly. Of course, Stillness Iron has very limited applications, and the ring in your hand is too small to be used for crafting anything, so it's not that valuable."
Dean Tungus continued, "But to avoid trouble, you should keep it out of sight."
"Your earlier decision to send Patty away was correct. This thing is trouble."
The dean poured tea for himself and Locke. "Where did the ring come from?"
Locke answered truthfully, "It was probably left to me by a relative."
Dean Tungus nodded. "Hmm, I don't recognize the pattern on the ring either. It might be the mark of some organization, or perhaps the emblem of a school of thought."
"Or it could be a personal symbol of some wizard."
"That mark likely doesn't originate from the Southeastern Corner."
"Keep it safe. I'll keep this confidential for you. After all, I can't leave Corfu Island anyway."
Locke pocketed the ring while secretly wondering—just where did the original owner's mother come from?
If the material of her keepsake was this valuable, did it mean she was more than just a wizard apprentice?
Never mind.
Locke dismissed the dark thoughts. It wasn't particularly relevant to him anyway. He'd just casually look into the ring's origins later.
If he found answers, he could give the Augustine family a response. If not, no one could blame him.