Inside the shop of the House of Historical Scholars, Locke fell into deep thought as he listened to Old McCarthy's explanation.
Judging by the abilities Old McCarthy had demonstrated, archaeology wasn't just about exploring forgotten ancient magical knowledge.
It also provided tremendous auxiliary benefits across various fields.
For instance, during combat, it could help investigate an opponent's background. During tracking or counter-tracking operations, it could erase one's own traces or locate others. Even in fields like Potionology and Breeding Studies, it offered many transferable methodologies.
Becoming an Archaeological Scholar would bring him countless benefits without any drawbacks.
As for whether it might divert his focus—that was a matter of balance and prioritization.
But if archaeology could help him understand the Ancient Bloodline within him, enhance his physique, and allow him to use more Forbidden drugs, then studying archaeology wouldn't just avoid diverting his attention—it might even accelerate his path to becoming a Formal Wizard.
Though this conclusion seemed somewhat counterintuitive.
Moreover, becoming an Archaeological Scholar would undoubtedly require investing a large sum of Magic Stones.
Locke attempted to store the introductory archaeology book, the Tombstone Grimoire, into his Astral Ring, but found the operation impossible.
With slight surprise, Locke glanced at the Tombstone Grimoire. The grimoire was covered in numerous Dark Magic spells—likely because some of them prevented it from being stored in the astral plane.
'Knowledge transmission in the Black Wizard Society heavily relies on Magic Books, which is why they enhance ordinary books with various spells to create so-called Grimoires.'
'Grimoires are extremely valuable. They probably intentionally added restrictions to prevent Wizards from easily stealing them using Astral Rings.'
Locke nodded to McCarthy and said, "Thank you, old friend. I'll return the Grimoire to you in a month."
McCarthy replied, "Very well."
After bidding farewell to McCarthy, Locke quickly returned to his residence.
Once Locke had left, McCarthy walked to the shop entrance, gazing in the direction where Locke had disappeared. "It's rare to encounter a young man in White Wizard society who researches Ancient Creature Bloodlines and actually produces results."
"Truly rare."
...
Upon returning to his residence, Locke was surprised to find a forest elf maid waiting at his doorstep.
As he approached, the forest elf maid bowed to him. "Master Augustine, my mistress sent me to find you."
Locke asked indifferently, "What does my teacher want with me?"
Locke found it strange—Sophia the Witch had been extremely busy lately, completing academy tasks while also preparing for her teaching qualification assessment in the Star Domain Sea. Why would she suddenly seek him out?
It had been quite some time since he'd last seen Teacher Sophia.
The forest elf maid replied nervously, "I don't know. The mistress said she would wait for Master Augustine in her office."
Locke gave a slight nod. He first returned to his residence to place the Tombstone Grimoire in his study before leaving again for Sophia the Witch's office.
...
In Sophia the Witch's office, there was a clear glint of joy in her eyes. When she saw Locke, her smile widened even further.
"Locke, you're here."
"I truly have to thank you this time."
Locke responded, "Teacher?"
Sophia raised her hand, signaling for him to let her finish. "In the three years since I became a Formal Wizard, I've applied to many Wizard organizations in the Star Domain Sea, but nearly all rejected me."
"For Formal Wizards from the Southeast Corner Domain, establishing a foothold in such a major region is no easy task. Originally, I might not have passed this employment assessment either, as there were several other Formal Wizards from outside the Star Domain Sea with qualifications similar to mine. But I surpassed them in one key area—talent cultivation."
Sophia's gaze was filled with admiration. "Because you, Locke, advanced to become a First Class Wizard Apprentice within two years and earned certifications as a Potionology Assistant and Formal Breeder within half a year, you were recognized as an outstanding talent by them."
"Even if Wizard organizations in the Star Domain Sea don't acknowledge many things from the Southeast Corner Domain, your rapid progression in magic ranks is undeniable. Moreover, the examinations for Potionology Assistant and Formal Breeder are actually validated by the White Wizard Association's higher authorities in the Star Domain Sea."
"Therefore, these two certifications carry significant weight and are recognized by Wizard organizations there."
Sophia smiled warmly. "You've done me a tremendous favor this time. Research achievements, talent cultivation, magic rank progression, and titles—these four areas are the core criteria in faculty evaluations."
"Thanks to you, my talent cultivation abilities were deemed exceptional by them."
Locke smiled in return. "Congratulations, Teacher."
"Teacher, what's the name of the Wizard organization that accepted you?"
Sophia took out a letter sealed with a golden emblem depicting numerous towers. "It's the City of Thousand Towers [Parthenos]."
"This Wizard organization is considered formidable even within the Star Domain Sea. The reason I applied here is that the City of Thousand Towers is essentially a massive university alliance composed of over a dozen comprehensive magic colleges."
"This organization places greater emphasis on talent cultivation," Sophia explained with a smile. "Having a student like you gave me a distinct advantage in this area."
"Under normal circumstances, young Wizards like me, who don't stay at their home institutions, rarely have students as outstanding as you. My competitors were all Formal Wizards from outside the Star Domain Sea, so my advantage in this regard stood out prominently."
"To be honest, I only wanted to give it a try, but I never expected to succeed." Sophia looked up at Locke and continued, "The Star Domain Sea is a major realm, while the Southeast Corner Domain is just a small corner of this magical world."
"To the mortal world, this place may seem colossal, but from the perspective of the Star Domain Sea, isn't it just a tiny corner—much like the mortal world you once lived in?"
"I don't mean to insult your homeland, Locke. You understand what I'm saying…"
Sophia's expression turned serious. "For geniuses like you and me, staying in a small place forever is simply not an option."
"We will continue moving forward along the path ahead."
"Let your teacher here scout the way to the Star Domain Sea first. I'll attempt to establish a foothold there. After you graduate from the academy, if you're interested, you can come assist me."
Wizard Sophia explained: "The Star Domain Sea has an exceptionally high level - it's a mid-to-high magic environment, and among such environments, it's considered the most elite."
"It's very close to being a high magic environment."
"There, even ordinary creatures in the wild could threaten the lives of wizard apprentices. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend going there before reaching Formal Wizard level."
"Moreover, the round-trip expenses are extremely costly. Even ordinary Formal Wizards might find their funds depleted there, falling into poverty with neither money to return nor means to survive properly."
Wizard Sophia continued: "Wizard apprentices there can only exist completely under the protection of Formal Wizards. If you had mediocre talent, I wouldn't mind you staying under my wing. But Locke, you're different."
"Locke, I truly hope you'll come assist me when the time comes."
"You must have realized by now that every Formal Wizard has their own network of connections, though the scale may vary."
Locke nodded and asked: "Understood, teacher."
"But first I need to become a Formal Wizard before going to the Star Domain Sea. By the way, teacher, are you leaving immediately?"
Wizard Sophia shook her head. "That's actually why I called you here."
"I've secured a position as a Formal Wizard instructor in the City of Thousand Towers [Parthenos]."
"But I still need to complete one final task from Lilith's Cottage before I can leave the organization."
"It's only fair. Consider it my graduation assignment."
Locke asked curiously: "Then what is this final task, teacher?"
Wizard Sophia raised her head to meet Locke's gaze: "The price for a Formal Wizard to leave Lilith's Cottage is equivalent - to kill another Black Wizard of Formal Wizard rank."
"My target is a Formal Wizard-level curse master from the Blood Curse Court - [Rasheed Tarir]."
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