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After eating the White Dew Peach and returning to his dormitory, Locke slept for three full days in his bedroom. When he woke up again, he discovered three days had already passed.
Thinking about the points he would be deducted, Locke's expression changed slightly.
But when he opened the Wish Lingzhi magical plant, he discovered that Wizard Kelt, his direct supervisor, had used his authority to sign in for him.
Although this matter was somewhat against the rules, Wizard Kelt had instructed him not to mention it to others.
Locke immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Even though his current self didn't need to worry about being eliminated due to point issues, he still needed to worry that point issues would prevent him from obtaining a Jade Peach that rightfully belonged to him.
Now it was good. This worry had been resolved.
Locke got up and washed up, then came to the living room.
Locke looked at the time on the standard alchemical clock (academy standard furniture) made by alchemy apprentices in the living room. Only then did he discover it was currently high noon.
Moreover, he had been unconscious for three days and three nights.
Entering the Queen's Chessboard itself carried certain risks.
But as a wizard, how could one completely avoid risks?
Myriad things compete freely in the frosty sky. Only by continuously advancing upward could one become a high-circle wizard and pursue the path of truth.
Fortunately, his gains were also great.
The two wood elf maid servants hurriedly brought breakfast to Locke. At the same time, a dark elf servant reported to him that while he was resting, several wizards had sent several letters.
Locke held the three letters in his hand. He hadn't expected that just sleeping for three days would result in so many people sending him letters.
The first letter was from the White Wizard Association's Funding Management Department. They had already approved his defense application and agreed with him to hold the completion defense in half a month.
There was no choice. They had to gather three defense panel members to hold a defense.
Those Second Circle wizards also had limited time. They couldn't possibly make a long trip just for one First Circle wizard.
So he could only accommodate their schedules.
The second and third letters were both for Gregor and Williams. When Locke had them participate in the breeder competition earlier, he had them fill in his address.
This way, as their teacher, he could conveniently notify them and also know their competition situation at the first opportunity.
Second, it was a kind of protection.
Having experienced previous competition insider dealings, Locke didn't dare gamble on human nature in this regard.
There was no need to expose the two apprentices' addresses.
He could just write his own address directly to avoid unnecessary complications.
Locke opened the two letters and nodded with satisfaction. Both Gregor and Williams had successfully passed the second round and were ranked highly.
Gregor's results were just average, at 57th place.
Williams's results were at 11th place.
Even with the assignments and experimental data he had given her, being able to achieve this ranking was absolutely inseparable from hard work and talent.
"Very good. This way they can both enter the third round." Locke smiled. "Time is truly wonderful."
"The time I participated in the apprentice-level breeder competition seems like it was just yesterday, as if I participated last year. Thinking carefully, the time since I became an official wizard indeed isn't long."
"Back then, I topped the apprentice-level breeder competition in first place. So can I reproduce my past glory in these two students?"
"Wizard mentors can completely interfere with students' work progress through guidance. According to the information I investigated previously, the apprentice-level breeder competition appears on the surface to be a competition between apprentices, but in reality it's about whether the teachers behind them are capable or not. The students' own level comes second."
Locke said indifferently, "Let's just see Williams and Gregor's capabilities."
Locke looked at the half-dragon maid Ginny that Yekaterina had assigned to him and said, "Ginny, help me deliver these two letters, along with this set of problems and reading list, to Gregor and Williams respectively. Tell them if there's anything they don't understand, they can come ask me."
"Also, tell them to just do their best in the finals. Don't worry about anything else."
Ginny bowed to Locke. "Yes, young master."
"However, young master... there's one matter I need to tell you. While you were unconscious, a masked black wizard came to Golden Crown Mountain and came to your door looking for you."
"He said he was your old friend, named Warwick. I told him you were busy and temporarily unable to come out to receive him. As a result, he seemed very angry, as if I had slighted him, and left."
Locke was stunned for a moment, because the two-year agreement between himself and Warwick hadn't yet reached its date. There was still a year and a half remaining.
But why had Warwick come looking for him early?
Locke glanced at Ginny and said, "Oh, he's just a bit sensitive. He doesn't have an issue with you."
Ginny smiled. "Young master, you're truly considerate. I really thought I had slighted him."
"Before he left, he said to meet in three days at 4 PM in private room 31 of the Witch's Kitchen in Dragon Blood Assembly Castle. If you don't come then, he'll automatically leave."
Ginny said, "Ah, counting the time, it's approximately this afternoon. It's noon now. Only three hours remain until the appointed time."
Locke was somewhat speechless.
He still remembered adding him as a friend on the gray stone tablet. So why would he personally come looking for him? Had the plan temporarily encountered some change?
Locke nodded. "I understand, Ginny. You may go."
Locke frowned. Thinking carefully, he still decided to keep the appointment.
This was Golden Crown Mountain, white wizard territory. In this regard, he had no worries whatsoever.
Since that was the case, there was no reason not to go.
Warwick had historical data and abyss relic coordinates that he wanted.
Thinking carefully, could the location marked by the abyss relic coordinates be a medium-scale abyss plane?
That would be interesting.
In the endless void, wizards generally could only use World Stones from inside medium-scale worlds to advance to Second Circle wizard. Otherwise, with a First Circle wizard's individual power, they definitely wouldn't be a match for more advanced worlds. That would be counterproductive instead.
But only one world was special, the Bottomless Abyss.
Because the Bottomless Abyss was formed by the gathering of countless planes of varying sizes into a super-giant unique plane, this was the only unique plane that could be used to advance to Second Circle wizard.
Of course, using an abyss plane to advance to Second Circle wizard did indeed test wizards' imagination. Using World Stones from abyss planes to create Grand Magic, who would be master and who would be guest would still be uncertain.
But this was indeed a direction worth understanding, especially since he had some understanding of both abyss potion science and the abyssal energy system.
Locke was just about to get up when he heard someone knocking on the door. He ordered the maid to open the door, only to see standing outside was actually an ordinary Second Circle wizard.
"Please don't be startled, Mr. Augustine." The visiting Second Circle wizard smiled warmly. "I am Bartolomeo Hayes, a wizard instructor at Quinn Jol University."
"I've come specifically to visit Breeder Augustine."
Locke was stunned for a moment, then calmly and composedly instructed the servants to receive this Second Circle wizard.
The two sat down at the long table in the living room.
Locke asked strangely, "Lord Hayes, what brings you to specifically look for me? What matter is worth you coming from Quinn Jol University?"
Wizard Hayes smiled. "Actually it's not specifically, but rather I happened to have a medium-sized wizard organization nearby invite me to give a lecture. I felt it was very close to Golden Crown Mountain, so I came by to meet you on the way."
"I'm actually here representing the Tier 2 journal 'Life and Reproduction.'"
Locke was stunned and blurted out, "Is there such a journal among Tier 2 journals?"
Mainly because when he had Schneider submit manuscripts on his own earlier, he had also briefly scanned through the names of Tier 2 journals in Cloud Marsh Wetland.
There were 46 First Circle Tier 2 journals total in Cloud Marsh Wetland.
But there didn't seem to be a "Life and Reproduction."
Just as Locke said this, he immediately reacted. "I mean no disrespect, Lord Hayes."
Wizard Hayes waved his hand. The smile on his face was somewhat awkward, but still appeared amiable. "This is indeed a problem with our 'Life and Reproduction.' To speak frankly, 'Life and Reproduction' just recently advanced to First Circle Tier 2 journal status. It was founded by my teacher Barbatos, a Young Cadre Wizard and Third Circle wizard."
"Originally it was a Tier 3 journal for many years, only recently advancing to Tier 2."
Locke nodded slightly while quickly thinking, 'Young Cadre Wizard is a Second Circle title. For First Circle wizards, it's already considered a good title, but for Third Circle wizards it's just ordinary.'
'The highest title for Third Circle wizards is Throne Wizard. Since he emphasizes his teacher is a Young Cadre Wizard and emphasizes being a Third Circle wizard, that means he's an ordinary Third Circle wizard.'
'A journal run by an ordinary Third Circle wizard... then indeed climbing tiers early on would be very difficult.'
Someone like Witch Yekaterina had her own journal, the Second Circle Tier 1 journal "Volcanic Plants."
She hadn't established a First Circle journal.
So her students couldn't submit to the journal she ran. Otherwise, her journal's submission box would definitely have wizards from various Origin Academies submitting every day.
It was probably for this reason that she hadn't established a First Circle journal.
Locke had already guessed why the other party, as a Second Circle wizard, would condescend to come looking for him, a First Circle wizard.
Wizard Hayes said, "It's like this. My teacher Wizard Barbatos has always wanted to establish a First Circle Tier 1 journal as something for our master-disciple lineage to fall back on."
Wizard Hayes said openly and honestly.
Locke nodded slightly. Many journals were indeed reserved territories for the master-disciple students of various high-circle wizards. It would be much easier for their teachers, students, and friends to publish in them.
Wizard Hayes smiled. "However, to make a journal advance tiers requires influential high-quality articles and excellent submission sources. To attract excellent submission sources requires credibility. To have credibility requires excellent submission sources."
This was a closed loop.
Breaking this closed loop would allow a journal to be established. Otherwise, it would just be an unnoticed third-rate journal.
Wizard Hayes said, "I know that for excellent wizards like yourself, 'Life and Reproduction' might seem beneath notice, but I still came wanting to solicit manuscripts from you."
Locke frowned. "If I write as first author myself, I'll only submit to Tier 1, and only to several top Tier 1 journals."
Wizard Hayes hurriedly said, "Of course. Your corresponding author is Witch Yekaterina. Our journal wouldn't dare accept articles with the Throne as corresponding author..."
"Even before accepting, we would find ways to confirm with the Throne and only dare include it after obtaining consent."
Wizard Hayes said wearily, "You definitely can't imagine the difficulties we face running a journal. If it were a top-tier journal within First Circle Tier 2, that would be one thing. If new journals like ours that just advanced tiers dared to publish articles where they are corresponding authors in our journal without the Throne's consent, that would violate certain unspoken rules."
"It's not like it hasn't happened before. Journals wanting to take shortcuts attempted to piggyback on Thrones. The result was those journals were, without exception, collectively boycotted, with no one submitting, no one paying attention, and ultimately being revoked by the White Wizard Association."
"But I noticed that Breeder Augustine, you previously seemed to have your students as first authors and yourself as corresponding author when submitting to several Tier 2 journals."
"My target is those articles you want to submit to Tier 2 journals."
Wizard Hayes looked at Locke tentatively.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Wizard Hayes laughed. "Then I won't beat around the bush. Those journals are my target. I think this is also very beneficial for you. Your purpose in publishing in journals is to obtain contribution points. Contribution points can be exchanged for many things useful to you."
"For example, 30,000 contribution points can be exchanged for a colonization permit certificate for a medium-scale plane. Of course, those planes are generally planes that have already been developed many times."
"30,000 contribution points means needing 20 Tier 1 journal articles, but can also be obtained through 38 Tier 2 journal articles." Wizard Hayes knew what Locke currently wanted most, because this was also what he had wanted most not long ago.
"Moreover, the White Wizard Association has regulations that only contribution points obtained through journals can be used to exchange for colonization permit certificates."
"There are also strict limitations on the ratios of Tier 1 journals, Tier 2 journals, and Tier 3 journals on wizards who want to exchange for colonization permit certificates."
"Tier 4 journals don't count."
Locke listened as Wizard Hayes recited this knowledge like a treasured possession.
Most of what he was saying, he had already gradually learned.
But there was one point he indeed hadn't known before.
That is, the colonization permit certificates exchanged with contribution points could colonize planes that had already been developed.
This made Locke frown.
In the Grand Magic creation process Grand Wizard Sulla had given him, Grand Wizard Sulla and his ghostwriter had once argued. In the argument, Locke learned that originally, after a wizard advanced using that world's resources, the world would obtain some of his characteristics, and he would obtain some of that world's characteristics.
Then for those who came after, the world would no longer be pure.
This would cause the Grand Magic of those who came after to be slightly influenced by the personal characteristics of the first wizard who used this world.
Although this influence was very slight, so slight that most wizards could tolerate it, some wizards still minded.
Especially for those wizards whose goal wasn't just the Second Circle.
Grand Magic was critically important, so for Locke himself, the world plane used to construct Grand Magic should ideally also be a completely new world untouched by wizards.
As it turned out, even the planes under colonization permit certificates exchanged from within the contribution point system were places that had already been developed by others.
Locke was momentarily dazed.
His need for contribution points in his heart suddenly plummeted.
If a wizard continuously published dozens of Tier 2 articles and more than ten Tier 1 articles, ultimately only obtaining such a plane, then unless absolutely necessary, he might as well wait a bit longer.
After all, now wasn't a time when opportunity couldn't wait.
White wizard society had a complete related teaching position system specifically for allocating this type of resource.
He should be able to obtain the kind of resource he wanted.
Wizard Hayes seemed not to notice Locke spacing out and continued, "Moreover, submitting to our journal has one advantage. Our journal has no credential bias."
"Just as you submitters have no credential bias, our journal also has no credential bias. Those manuscripts of yours that were rejected can be directly published in our journal."
Locke glanced at Wizard Hayes and thought for a moment. "But... I want to look at 'Life and Reproduction's' past submission information."
He at least needed to confirm this journal wasn't a particularly problematic one.
If articles with his name as corresponding author were submitted to that kind of journal full of connections, his reputation wouldn't be good either.
However, if it was truly as this Second Circle wizard said, that it was a journal founded by Third Circle Wizard Barbatos who hoped it could advance to Tier 1 and create conveniences for their master-disciple lineage, then cooperating with them wouldn't be a loss for him either.
This way, both sides would have no credential bias.
Wizard Hayes showed an expression of understanding and handed Locke materials he had prepared in advance. "Take a look, Breeder Augustine."
"My teacher just advanced to Third Circle wizard, so this journal only just advanced from Tier 3 to Tier 2."
"I've been following my teacher since I was an official wizard. After my teacher advanced to become a Third Circle wizard, he immediately found a way to get me a colonization permit certificate for a medium-scale plane. Thus, I also became a Second Circle wizard."
Wizard Hayes smiled. "Our ambitions are great. Naturally, we're not the petty, struggling sort."
After Locke looked at the materials and confirmed this was indeed a journal on the rise, he said, "Alright, Lord Hayes. Then I'll consider submitting to 'Life and Reproduction' next time."
Wizard Hayes nodded and said happily, "Our journal is also preparing to become a Tier 1 journal. We very much welcome submissions from talented young people like Wizard Augustine."
"As the managing editor of 'Life and Reproduction,' I can promise you that our journal will always be the first to receive submissions from you and seriously consider whether to publish them."
Locke bowed to Wizard Hayes.
This was actually a value exchange.
The meaning was that he would consider submitting to the currently under-credentialed "Life and Reproduction," and in exchange, this journal would from now on seriously consider articles with his name on them and prioritize letting them through.
If luck was good and "Life and Reproduction" became a Tier 1 journal, then his favor would still exist.
Then as corresponding author, he could obtain a certain weak privilege in this Tier 1 journal.
This would become a certain kind of accumulation for him.