"Next." Locke sat on the sofa in the reception room, watching indifferently as these Second-Class Wizard Apprentices either left or entered the house.
He held their submitted documents in his hands.
Most of their resumes left him somewhat dissatisfied.
Although the primary purpose of recruiting this Second-Class Wizard Apprentice was to meet the standard requirements for the Pharmaceutical Room's review process, if someone was hired, they should at least be capable of doing some work.
But among this batch of applicants, the vast majority of Second-Class Wizard Apprentices came with the attitude of wanting to learn, having never even touched Potionology before.
Locke rubbed his temples. 'I must have spread the news too recently.'
He looked through the dozen or so resumes he'd already collected. 'There are still some Second-Class Wizard Apprentices who have some exposure to Potionology and possess minimal relevant experience.'
'With careful selection, maybe I can find someone usable.'
Locke recalled what Sophia had told him - if he had many senior and junior brothers, it would be much easier to find Second-Class Wizard Apprentice assistants who perfectly met his requirements.
The Formal Wizards of Lilith's Cottage each maintained an extensive network of relationships - friends among Formal Wizards, their students, their students' students...
Within this network, Second-Class Wizard Apprentices could more easily find cost-effective work opportunities.
Similarly, First Class Wizard Apprentices could more readily locate assistants who met their standards.
Unfortunately, Sophia was a newly promoted Formal Wizard who hadn't yet had time to establish these deep-rooted networks through years of accumulation, so she couldn't provide much help in this regard.
As the rejected Second-Class Wizard Apprentices exited the house, they were immediately surrounded by those waiting outside, all eager to hear about their interview experiences.
One newly rejected apprentice shook his head with a bitter expression.
"I thought a newly promoted First Class Wizard Apprentice would be more approachable, but as soon as I entered, Senior Augustine tested me on several professional questions. I couldn't answer any of them. Seems I had no chance of slipping through."
"I'm desperately short on funds right now - I don't even have enough Magic Stones to buy study materials for my Meditation Method. I heard Bloodhowl Arena is hiring assistant handlers. Maybe I'll try interviewing there."
Most of the apprentices surrounding him immediately shook their heads at this suggestion.
"Better not. I heard Bloodhowl Arena lost another assistant handler last month - killed by a raging Scorpion-tailed Lion. The jobs there are easier to get precisely because so many people die there. The risk-reward ratio is terrible."
"Exactly. It's not worth risking your life for a few Magic Stones. That place is full of Hybrid Magical Creatures with unstable Bloodlines. Some are practically psychotic - you never know what might set them off."
Among these Second-Class Wizard Apprentices, one who specialized in Beast Taming Magic had a different perspective.
"It's not as exaggerated as you all make it out to be. I'm just a student in the Beast Taming Magic subcategory within the academy. The rumors have blown things way out of proportion. While it's somewhat dangerous, it's hardly a death sentence."
"Some people just lack the relevant professional skills and overpackage themselves during interviews, making my seniors mistakenly believe they actually understand this field. That's why so many accidents happen."
Someone muttered, "Which interview doesn't require some self-packaging? You don't see other positions with such high accidental mortality rates."
A wizard apprentice shouted, "Enough chitchat! Hurry, Senior Augustine is calling the next person in!"
"Don't crowd, form a line!"
Inside the house, in the reception room.
Locke sat on the sofa, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at the short, plump, melon-shaped female wizard apprentice standing before him, her head bowed, shoulders hunched, and visibly nervous, her face covered in freckles. "Hmm?"
"You've worked as a magic potion assistant for a First-Class Wizard Apprentice before?"
Tilly Calvin whispered nervously, "Y-yes... No, not exactly. That's what my resume says, but I was really just helping out in that pharmaceutical room."
"I wouldn't call myself an assistant."
"At that time, the pharmaceutical room hired over a dozen Second-Class Wizard Apprentices, all just helpers. It was Senior Angron's pharmaceutical room, and he already had his own assistant, who was also one of Lord Harun Vera's students."
When Tilly Calvin mentioned Angron's name, a flash of fear, lingering dread, and momentary resistance crossed her face.
Locke keenly noticed her expression and slightly furrowed his brow.
He had heard Harun Vera's name many times before—he was a senior Formal Wizard at Lilith's Cottage.
He even had the opportunity to become one of the seven senior advisors.
But he declined, citing his unwillingness to give up direct student mentoring opportunities. Aside from research, his greatest hobby was likely teaching.
However, Harun Vera already had numerous students under him. There was no need for his most important student, Angron, to recruit so many Second-Class Wizard Apprentices for his personal pharmaceutical room.
After all, these Second-Class Wizard Apprentices also required salaries. While an individual's pay might not be much for a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, the combined wages of over a dozen people still amounted to a significant expense.
Locke thought of something and asked, "Why did you leave? Among the helpers recruited at the same time as you, how many were Lord Harun Vera's students, and how many were external hires?"
Tilly Calvin grew even more nervous. "Almost none were Lord Harun Vera's students. I left because of an experiment accident..."
"I violated operating procedures and was forced to resign... But Senior Augustine, I've mastered the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method and three types of Magical Flames: Wood Element Magic Flame, Fire Element Magic Flame, and Wind Element Magical Flame."
"I'm also very familiar with the foundational knowledge and basic operations of Potionology. So I can be very useful. Please give me a chance to work, even if it means reducing my salary—I'd be willing."
Tilly Calvin looked pitiful, her eyes brimming with tears. "I truly love Potionology."
"I want to continue down this path..."
Clearly, due to her previous dismissal from Angron's Pharmaceutical Room, she had encountered numerous obstacles along this path, with a bumpy road ahead.
Her situation was inconsequential to Locke, a First-Class Wizard Apprentice and Potionology Assistant—he could simply open his own Pharmaceutical Room if needed. But for a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice like her, a tainted record would undoubtedly make it difficult to find similar work within Lilith's Cottage in the short term.
Moreover, Locke immediately understood why Angron had repeatedly violated the rules by conducting experiments on wizard apprentices, even harming several Wizard Seedlings, yet faced no consequences.
This in itself was quite strange.
Lilith's Cottage was so strict in its investigations of such matters—how could Angron still stir up trouble so freely?