Edwin, Sophia, an elderly Formal Wizard, and a middle-aged male Formal Wizard all arrived on the second floor.
The middle-aged male Formal Wizard scanned the disheveled office and said expressionlessly, "That Wizard Seed from the Blood Curse Court has gone too far. Right under our noses, they've made a mess of the Healing Hand Clinic."
Essie opened her mouth to explain but was stopped by a glance from Edwin. Edwin wore a faint expression, turned, and looked deeply at Locke, then said to Sophia, "Sophia, your student is quite impressive; he has good combat talent."
"That's relatively rare among White Wizards."
Sophia glanced at Locke, her gaze lingering for a moment on the wounds on him, especially the one on his neck where flesh was missing, a hint of concern flashing in her eyes before she said, "Yes, that is indeed commendable."
"The other students performed quite well too. We White Wizards cannot compare to Black Wizards in combat experience, but the curses from the other side did not directly harm us, and all the students were able to quickly find the corresponding antidote potions."
"That's very good."
"Locke, we had already noticed what was happening at the start of your battle. It was just that Edwin suggested we observe the students' reactions, so we didn't intervene."
Locke nodded.
Sophia seemed to want to reassure him that he had been safe all along, that she had been watching the entire battle from the side.
Edwin spoke seriously, "Overall, it's still quite inadequate. The future Wizard Wars will only become more intense; after all, the Blood Lord of the Blood Curse Court has had his hopes for advancement severed by our academy's headmaster, which is an indelible hatred."
"You all need to strengthen your vigilance and adaptability; it's not impossible for enemies to infiltrate the Healing Hand Clinic."
"Today it's the First Circle Wizard Seed, but tomorrow it could be a Formal Wizard from the enemy side."
With Edwin's admonition, all the First Class Wizard Apprentices present nodded in agreement, whether sincerely or not.
Sophia walked over to Locke and discreetly slid a bottle of emerald-colored potion from her robe's sleeve into his palm.
"This is an apprentice-level Emerald Potion, a simplified version of the Emerald Potion, which I've slightly modified; I call it the 'Lesser Emerald Potion.'"
"Drinking it will dispel all the curses on you and heal your injuries."
The three Formal Wizards present immediately glanced at Locke and Sophia.
The First Class Wizard Apprentices couldn't help but be taken aback for a moment, then their gazes toward Locke turned somewhat envious.
After all, none of the First Circle Wizards present had proactively offered free potions for their students to dispel curses and heal wounds.
However, since Sophia was a Formal Wizard, whatever she wanted to do was her own business.
So, no one dared to say anything.
Angulo and Essie exchanged glances, and Essie whispered, "Locke has such a good relationship with his Wizard Mentor."
Angulo murmured, "Lady Sophia must have only recently advanced to Formal Wizard status. Locke is likely her first student."
Wizard Edwin launched into a lengthy reprimand of the First Class Wizard Apprentices, urging them to heighten their vigilance, while Sophia simply pulled Locke aside to another room on the second floor.
Inside the room.
Sophia smiled at Locke and said, "This is the frontlines. How are you holding up?"
Locke replied, "Thank you, Mentor. I'm fine."
"Mentor, it seems the war between the Blood Curse Court and our academy is quite intense. This has been an eye-opening experience."
Sophia chuckled. "You did well this time."
"The Magic Plants you've been cultivating seem to have undergone special modifications. Earlier, some of the Formal Wizards watching the battle asked me about them. I told them you're also a genius Breeder."
A look of satisfaction crossed Sophia's face as she recalled something. "Your talent in breeding truly is rare."
"Though they won't say it outright, those Formal Wizards are somewhat envious that I have you as my student."
Sophia continued, "Moving forward, I'll gradually transfer some of my patients afflicted with curses to you. Help me treat them."
She pondered for a moment. "Treating these cursed individuals will require purchasing many potions from the Pharmaceutical Room and Magic Potion Shop. Some potion recipes you can try practicing on your own."
She handed Locke a document.
Locke took it. "Is this... the Emerald Potion recipe, Mentor?"
Sophia shook her head and smiled. "No, wrong."
"This is a simplified version of the Emerald Potion recipe that I invented myself. The original Emerald Potion recipe is semi-public knowledge—many Potionology Masters can brew it—but this simplified version is my own creation."
"You can learn it. It'll benefit you greatly. Using this to treat curses will simplify things significantly, reducing the pressure of learning additional potion recipes and cutting down on study costs."
"I don't want you to deviate from your path in Potionology just because you're helping me."
Sophia added, "Most patients can be treated with the Lesser Emerald Potion. The original Emerald Potion is already the best antidote for curse magic."
"For the few patients who can't be treated with the Lesser Emerald Potion, you can purchase specialized potions with Magic Stones. I'll reimburse you."
After a moment's thought, Sophia said, "I won't charge you for the Lesser Emerald Potion recipe. How about we split the treatment fees fifty-fifty? What do you think?"
Locke had no objections.
He knew that other First Class Wizard Apprentices likely couldn't split treatment fees equally with their mentors.
From Essie, he'd learned that the lion's share of profits went to their Wizard Mentors, leaving them with mere scraps.
After all, since these cursed patients were assigned by their mentors, it stood to reason that the bulk of the profits should go to them.
The key issue was that their Wizard Mentors likely had more than one First Class Wizard Apprentice under them, making resources scarce and competition fierce.
Moreover, the Witch Sophia had even given him a recipe for the Lesser Emerald Potion, which was already more than he could ask for.
Locke nodded solemnly and said, "Understood, teacher. You can leave it to me."
"I'll master the Lesser Emerald Potion as quickly as possible."
If things went well, he would soon earn his first fortune through the bulk purchase order for Crystal Palmfire Lotus and the treatment fees here. Then, by establishing his first Pharmaceutical Room, he would gain the qualification to sell his first private potion formula—the Memory Ointment.
That way, he could earn his second fortune.
The Memory Ointment could enhance memory, and even First Class Wizard Apprentices would find it slightly beneficial.
Any wizard apprentice could use it, making its potential market far broader than the previous three Magic Plants' target audience.
As long as he was permitted to sell it publicly, he would soon amass a substantial amount of resources for daily magical studies during the First Class Wizard Apprentice stage!