Locke spent one Magic Stone to hire a carriage operated by three centaur brothers in the port city.
The purchasing power of Magic Stones was exceptionally high in mortal society.
Since he needed to leave the port city and travel to Ashgra City—a settlement deep within the mountains under Lilith's Cottage's jurisdiction—Locke required reliable carriage drivers.
The three centaurs each fastened a harness over their shoulders, then mustered their full strength to pull the carriage along the rural path toward Ashgra City.
Inside the carriage, Locke sat reading the mission documents provided by the academy.
First, Lilith's Cottage governed numerous kingdoms and even empires within its domain, along with many independent lords who swore allegiance solely to Lilith's Cottage.
Ashgra City was one such place.
Located within the Ashgra Mountains, the city was surrounded by naturally growing rare Magical Plants and three Magic ore veins, the most important of which was the Resonant Gold Crystal Mine.
This ore was a necessary auxiliary material for the Cantrip Model [Exposure].
Additionally, it served as a key component for the first-tier Spell [Echo Barrier], requiring at least several dozen kilograms during the initial construction phase.
In other words, Ashgra City was a relatively important resource point for Lilith's Cottage.
However, recently, the city's lord reported to Lilith's Cottage headquarters that a large number of residents had begun suffering from a peculiar condition—paralysis of the limbs and facial deformities—which proved completely untreatable by mortal-world remedies.
Thus, Lilith's Cottage suspected that this might be caused by an outbreak of plague due to an invasion of some wild Magic Plant from the Ashgra Mountains.
This was why Locke, as a Breeder Assistant, had been dispatched to investigate—to prevent Ashgra City from spiraling further out of control, which would render the mortals who gathered Magical Plants and mined Magic ores in the mountains incapable of continuing their work.
Resonant Gold Crystal was relatively crucial for Lilith's Cottage, currently embroiled in a wizard war.
After all, the Blood Curse Court had many wizard apprentices who had transformed their Bloodlines into vampires, and the Cantrip Model [Exposure] happened to be their bane.
Locke skimmed through the investigation report of an ordinary Second-Class Wizard Apprentice previously sent by Lilith's Cottage. The apprentice preliminarily suspected that the Magical Plants responsible for this phenomenon could be one of two types—
Either the Rot Face Fern or the Parasitic Blood Chicken Vine.
Inside the carriage, Locke flipped through the apprentice's error-riddled report and shook his head slightly.
"This Second-Class Wizard Apprentice specializes in the Body Transformation Magic branch of the Transformation School. She clearly knows nothing about Magic Plant studies and may not have even taken the All Things Class, which provides general education. As such, her report holds little value for me."
Locke pondered further:
"The Rot Face Fern went completely extinct in the wild fifty years ago. Moreover, while it can cause facial deformities in mortals due to spore parasitism, it doesn't induce limb paralysis."
"As for the Parasitic Blood Chicken Vine, that's even more absurd. The reproductive ability of that Magic Plant is limited, and so is its parasitic capability. While it does indeed parasitize mortal bodies, gradually replacing their spines and causing limb paralysis and facial deformities, it's too easy to identify. At most, only a few cases would occur."
As a Breeder Assistant, Locke's mind instantly processed several judgments, matching the two main symptoms currently observed with the Magic Plants stored in his memory.
"No wonder the academy assigned this task to me," Locke pondered. "Ordinary Second-Class Wizard Apprentices lack the relevant knowledge. Even if they went, they'd just cause unnecessary trouble."
A red glint flashed in Locke's eyes. Due to the vampire syndrome, his pupils had now completely turned crimson, and his senses of smell and taste had become abnormal, completely different from ordinary humans.
But this was only temporary.
After all, he hadn't truly turned into a vampire.
It was just that due to the effects of the Crimson Echo Potion, his mental power seemed to be fluctuating in growth—sometimes at 195, sometimes on the verge of breaking through to 200.
During this process, Locke felt his mental power and Mana continuously compressing inward, swirling around his soul to form something akin to a shell.
In other words, as his mental power approached 200, physiological changes in his mental structure were occurring.
This transformation placed considerable pressure on him, making his Mana extremely chaotic.
"The greatest difference between a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and other ranks is that a First-Class Wizard Apprentice possesses Magic Pressure," Locke reflected on his current changes. His boiling mental power, like uncontainable waves, sought a direction to release its immense force—and that direction was for his soul to develop a Magic Pressure structure.
"To become a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, one must endure this transformation of mental power. If I fail, I'll have to attempt the breakthrough again."
"Many Second-Class Wizard Apprentices fail repeatedly during such breakthroughs, ultimately giving up," Locke thought. "But with the Crimson Echo Potion my teacher concocted, my mental power can increase by at least 15%. So forming a soul structure capable of Magic Pressure is inevitable—it's just that the process will be painful."
After all, it involved reconstructing the soul's architecture, creating a structure entirely different from that of ordinary mortals.
Two days later, Locke arrived at his destination.
He gazed at a city nestled among the mountains, its core consisting of several interconnected blue-gray fortresses, with numerous streets and residences surrounding them.
Ashgrah City had over a dozen mountain paths connecting its interior to the outside.
By then, the city's lord, Lord Ashgrah, had already prepared a welcoming ceremony for him a kilometer outside the city.
The ceremony was quite grand.
Soldiers lined the path in welcome as Lord Ashgrah bowed deeply to Locke's carriage, saying, "Honored Wizard, Ashgrah City is fully prepared to receive you. A grand banquet has been arranged in the city to welcome your arrival."
But Locke stepped down from the carriage indifferently and addressed the middle-aged man in formal attire, Lord Ashgrah, saying, "Take me to the plague zone immediately. Dispense with all other formalities."
"I came here only to investigate what has happened in your city and, on behalf of the academy, to resolve the issues plaguing it."
Lord Ashgrah gazed at Locke with reverence, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes upon hearing that Locke intended to solve his city's problems. "Thank you, esteemed Wizard."
"Over a thousand people in the city have already shown signs of that... terrifying affliction, as if it were divine punishment upon us."
"It feels as though we've been struck by heavenly wrath. During this time, people from other cities have ceased coming to Ashgrah. The lifeblood of our commercial city seems to have been severed."
"Fortunately, you have arrived."
Lord Ashgrah spoke with emotion, "Great Wizard, please help us."
Locke, still seated in the carriage, grew impatient. "Take me to the plague zone at once."
Lord Ashgrah immediately ordered soldiers to escort Locke to the quarantine area within Ashgrah City.
As Locke sat in the carriage, he lifted the curtain and saw dozens of wild Semi-Magical Plants hidden among ordinary wild vegetation.
"Truly worthy of the Ashgrah Mountains—indeed abundant in wild Magic Plants. Perhaps this journey will yield some harvest for me as well."
"It couldn't possibly be divine punishment. This is Lilith's Cottage's territory. There is nothing the wizards cannot study and resolve."