Inside the Witch's Kitchen, Zach treated Locke to a glass of witch watermelon juice garnished with a leaf from a Fairy Mint Magic Plant, giving the beverage an exceptionally refreshing taste. Combined with some Magic Ice Cubes, it had become a summer bestseller.
Zach explained to Locke, "This is the current situation."
"All major studios are pulling strings, reaching out to captains of combat squads in the battle department in advance to secure agreements with those they've had good relations with before."
"They're arranging to use their competition entries ahead of time to boost their studios' chances of winning in the contest."
Locke took a sip of the witch watermelon juice and frowned. "So, the outcome of the Custom Magic Plant Competition isn't just determined by the performance data of the Magic Plants—there are other deciding factors."
Zach confirmed, "Exactly. And it makes sense. Performance data can be falsified or might not account for everything, but battlefield records can't be faked."
"This competition is meant for war, after all. Different judges will have different perspectives."
"But precisely because of that, there's a lot of maneuvering room behind the scenes."
Zach reassured him, "But you don't need to worry too much. You've got me. I have absolute confidence in you."
"I'll support you all the way."
"Right now, I'm also helping you connect with key figures. Your resources might not be any worse than those of the Breeders from the big studios. This is mutual assistance, after all."
Zach added, "The outcome of this competition determines a large-scale Academy Centralized Procurement contract—much bigger than the one I signed with you back then. At the time, I took a risk by giving you the only procurement quota I had."
Locke nodded. So, securing an Academy Centralized Procurement contract wasn't that simple after all.
He owed his first procurement contract to Shopkeeper Yuli, who had recommended his work to her senior, Zach.
And then, he had to thank Zach for taking a chance on him the moment he saw his work and signing that procurement contract.
Locke knew better than to assume that past success guaranteed future victories or that such success was solely his own doing.
Back then, his Crystal Palmfire Lotus had secured the procurement contract through a series of coincidences.
Even Zach, who had signed the procurement order with him, had taken a huge risk.
Zach smiled at Locke and said, "Later, I've invited a combat squad captain I'm on good terms with—Captain Jack Gray. He's a veteran First Class Wizard Apprentice, having held that rank for 25 years, and he's also a Storm Master."
"His squad includes several Wizards who specialize in plant magic. If we can get him to agree to use your Perseus' Eye Lichen on the front lines, I believe it'll significantly boost your chances of winning."
Zach asked respectfully, "Locke, does that sound good to you?"
Locke nodded. "No problem. If Perseus' Eye Lichen wins an award, it would benefit both of us greatly. After all, it's a Magic Plant I painstakingly developed—I have absolute confidence in it, and I don't want external factors to deprive it of the ranking it truly deserves."
Meeting the captain of a combat squad's wizard team was no issue for him. In fact, since his promotion to First Class Wizard Apprentice had been so recent, it was indeed time to acquaint himself with the more senior First Class Wizard Apprentices in the academy.
Locke had heard of Storm Masters before. These Storm Masters were Wizards from the Shaping School, specializing in combat within White Wizard society. They excelled at wielding elemental magic to summon storms and lightning, annihilating enemies without mercy.
These Storm Masters and Weather Manipulators followed entirely different paths. Storm Masters were the militant faction among White Wizards, engaged in perpetual battles against Black Wizards, with more than one Black Wizard's life claimed by their hands.
Their expertise was killing Black Wizards.
Zach pointed toward the transparent window of the Witch's Kitchen and said, "Locke, Captain Jack is here."
Locke turned to look outside the window, where a middle-aged Wizard with a buzz cut was approaching. His expression was stern, a scar running across his face, and his left eye had been lost—replaced instead by an Alchemist's creation: a Magic Eye.
Locke even spotted the mark of his old acquaintance, the Ouroboros Ring's Wizard Seed and Alchemist assistant Tyne, on the Magic Eye, confirming it as his handiwork.
The Magic Eye in Captain Jack's left socket kept rotating, as if even within Lilith's Cottage, he remained vigilant of his surroundings, wary of any sudden ambush.
He carried an aura of ferocity, yet his square-jawed face lent him an air of righteousness.
Jack Gray wore a Wizard robe distinctive to Storm Masters, its edges adorned with storm motifs. Beneath the robe was his muscular, powerful physique.
Captain Jack entered through the door, his Magic Eye immediately locking onto Zach and Locke's location before he strode over. "Sorry, Zach, I'm late."
"Just caught another damned Black Wizard spy."
"I personally dug out that filthy Vampire's so-called immortal heart and electrocuted it to charcoal. Ah, and now I'm making you spend again—you've always got the coin, Zach. The dishes at the Witch's Kitchen are something I can't usually afford."
Captain Jack plopped down casually beside Zach on the sofa. "And this is?"
Zach chuckled. "Captain Jack, this is Locke Augustine. I've mentioned him to you before—the genius Breeder I'm always talking about."
"Remember the Crystal Palmfire Lotus? The one your squad used during that bombing mission? That was Breeder Locke's creation."
Captain Jack looked at Locke in surprise, his remaining right eye now showing a hint of respect. "So it's you. I never expected the developer of the Crystal Palmfire Lotus to be so young. That batch of Magic Plants was incredibly robust—I assumed they were the work of an experienced, official Breeder."
Captain Jack Gray smiled and extended his hand to Locke. "Any Magic Plant that can kill a Black Wizard is a good one in my book. Let's be friends. I'm Jack Gray, leader of the 173rd Black Wizard Hunting Squad."
Locke gave a slight nod in return and reached out to shake his hand.
The moment their hands touched, Jack Gray's constantly roving Magic Eye suddenly turned a vivid red, its pupil flashing rapidly as if issuing some kind of warning, spinning even more wildly than before.
Jack Gray quickly withdrew his hand and pressed down on his left eye. A surge of powerful magical energy erupted from his Magic Eye, so intense it threatened to burst through the gaps between the fingers covering it.
"Damn it! That Tyne sold me a defective product! It works fine when it works, but the glitches are way too frequent! This isn't the battlefield, and he's not an enemy—stand down, you stupid thing!"
Zach was startled, but Captain Jack managed to restrain his Magic Eye from attacking and apologized to Locke. "Ah, my Magic Eye must have been damaged fighting Black Wizards on the front lines. Seems a bit unreliable now. My apologies, Breeder Augustine."
"Looks like I'll have to get Tyne to fix this thing—it's still under warranty anyway. When he sold it to me, he made all these grand promises. Can't believe I actually fell for it, and now it barely functions."
"Breeder Augustine, you seem to carry traces of a Black Wizard's aura," Captain Jack said, both his Magic Eye and right pupil locking onto Locke. "That's why my Magic Eye reacted—it sensed the Black Wizard's presence on you."
Zach blinked, glancing between Locke and Captain Jack before quickly interjecting, "I think I'll go ahead and order now."
"Waiter! Over here."
(End of Chapter)