In the Land of Six Towers, in White Dragon Tower No. 2, inside a conference room at the Magic Gem University at 10KM altitude.
Because they were standing right on top of the White Dragon Tower, and the elental fission well inside the White Dragon Tower produced trendous magical energy every mont, all four walls of this conference room, including the ceiling and floor, were covered with special magical paintings created by the Illusion School.
As Locke moved his finger, the scenes on the magical paintings also moved.
Locke sat in his seat and said to the three First Circle wizards he had recruited, "The Plutarch family has allocated this conference room for our use."
"If any of you have any materials, you can first find the Plutarch family's quick painters to input the materials into the magical paintings, then you can freely display them in this conference room."
All three First Circle wizards before him nodded.
The three wizards before him included the breeder genius Locke had previously recruited, Montgory, who was Eric Plutarch's ghostwriter, plus two others who were also Eric's article ghostwriters.
It wasn't that Locke was deliberately targeting him, but rather that in order to publish articles and embezzle family funds, Eric was so eager to advance that the level of civilian wizard ghostwriters he kept was higher than the last.
In fact, for civilian wizards, this was also a path to rapid advancent, it just ant there was an upper limit to their prospects, at most reaching First Circle wizard stage before hitting the ceiling.
Eric wouldn't let you advance one step further.
Therefore, Montgory had previously wanted to take the risk and run to the Spiral Basin to beco a black wizard to escape the Plutarch family's control.
Locke looked at the other two. One was Witch Barbara, a plant wizard and also a bloodline refiner. Her main research field was dryad bloodlines. Her greatest strength was combining plant magic with bloodline studies, forming her unique casting style.
The other wizard was Tacitus, a plant wizard and Evocation School wizard, also Eric's ghostwriter for the Evocation School side.
At this mont, Montgory reported to Locke about the situation with the students they had recruited, "Lord Locke, we've recruited fifteen first-class wizard apprentices and thirty second-class wizard apprentices in total. This should be sufficient for the preliminary developnt work."
"However, these wizard apprentices are all students of other First Circle wizards, so we not only need to pay those students' monthly living expenses, but also need to pay magic stones to the wizard ntors behind them."
"After a rough calculation, it's about one hundred fifty thousand magic stones."
Locke frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the funding needed for recruiting personnel to be much more than he had imagined.
It wasn't because these wizard apprentices were asking for too much, but because these wizard apprentices all had different formal wizards behind them.
Whether in the Land of Six Towers or in other wizard lands, students were considered one of the assets in formal wizards' hands.
They could be used for transactions.
Seconding students was quite normal.
Developing tactical-level magical plants required large numbers of personnel for data calculation and experints, so large numbers of wizard apprentices had to be recruited from the start.
Therefore, dealing with the formal wizards behind those wizard apprentices and borrowing their students from them was necessary.
Witch Barbara sighed, "There's no choice. Not one of us four wizards holds a professorship teaching position. We can't have first-class wizard apprentice students or second-class wizard apprentice students. At most, we can only deploy so third-class wizard apprentices. But what use are those students who have only seriously studied magic for four to five years?"
"Only first-class wizard apprentices and second-class wizard apprentices are useful."
Tacitus was the oldest among the four of them. He also saw things most clearly. The core of this team was Locke. Whether funding, equipnt, or projects, everything existed because of Locke.
Without Locke, the Plutarch family would disband this newly ford research group the next day.
Tacitus said to Locke, "Mr. Augustine, what I fear is that so wizard ntors will suddenly go back on their word midway. For various purposes."
Locke nodded slightly.
Only after actually forming a relatively large research group did he realize its complexity, which even caught him sowhat off guard.
First was the funding issue. The funds spent on personnel recruitnt were more than he had imagined.
And there would be even more places requiring money later.
No wonder so novice wizard ntors had to work three jobs themselves to maintain their research group's daily expenses...
Secondly, there was the personnel allocation issue. In wizard academies, people were a type of asset, and the most expensive kind at that.
The issues involved here were more complex than he had thought.
Witch Barbara said sowhat dissatisfied, "The money has been paid and contracts signed. What can suddenly change?"
Suddenly, the conference room door was knocked on. Locke frowned and opened the magical lock. Imdiately, a wizard ntor from the Magic Gem University, an old wizard from the Plutarch family, stood at the door smiling. He ignored the three civilian wizards and said to Locke sowhat guiltily, "Locke, sir, I've thought about it for a long ti. I feel the contract I signed with you yesterday was too hasty."
"That student of mine who I seconded to the library has also been requested by the library director. You know, I have a deal with the library director..."
"So, can I take my student back? A first-class wizard apprentice can do quite a lot of work after all. Consider it my breach of contract. I can pay you double the magic stones."
Locke looked at the old wizard and raised an eyebrow, "Did Wizard Eric do sothing again?"
The old wizard's face paled slightly and he waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no. I just want to retire peacefully at the Magic Gem University. After all, this lifeti I can only remain at the vaporization wizard stage. Please don't make it difficult for . Let take my student back."
"I..."
The faces of the three wizards in Locke's research group all changed slightly. Once this kind of thing happened once, it would happen a second ti.
If first-class wizard apprentices in their research group could co and go freely, coming when they wanted and leaving when they wanted, then their research group would undoubtedly be crippled from the start and would find it difficult to continue.
But all three wizards remained silent and secretly watched Locke's reaction.
As the project leader, if Locke had no reaction, then they would find it difficult to have any reaction.
At the sa ti, all three should prepare their exit strategies.
Locke looked at the old wizard caught in a difficult position and smiled. He closed the materials in his hand, saying, "It's fine. I won't make it difficult for you."
"I understand your difficulties. Eric seems to have put out word again." Locke took out from his astral ring the contract for that first-class wizard apprentice working in the library, "This is your student's contract. I actually quite appreciate his work ability. He previously helped find materials about the Cloud Marsh Cup."
A gleam of delight flashed in the old wizard's eyes, "Lord Locke, thank you for not making it difficult for . I really don't want to get involved in disputes. Ah, that student's work ability is indeed good. Using him, I exchanged with the library director for equipnt worth one hundred thousand magic stones."
"Hahahaha... that student can really make money for ."
Under the complex gazes of the three First Circle wizards, Locke handed the contract to the old wizard. After the old wizard took the contract and was about to turn and leave, Locke calmly said, "By the way, after you leave, I'm going to find Eric for a good talk. Young people, why have such a temper? Making an old wizard so conflicted. I'll have him personally apologize and make ands to you. This afternoon. Wait in your office."
The old wizard who had just reached the door imdiately stiffened. He swallowed and turned to look at Locke, "Lord Augustine... I don't want this contract anymore. Since it was signed, it was signed. How can there be any logic of canceling it and taking it back?"
"Hahaha..."
Locke sat in his seat with his hands crossed, "No, weren't you conflicted?"
The old wizard's face paled slightly, "This is indeed my own thoughtlessness. Contracts already signed must be respected. Keeping faith is one of the social foundations of our white wizard society."
Locke looked at the contract he handed back and nodded slightly.
The old wizard wiped the sweat from his forehead. He couldn't help but feel cold air constantly erging from his back. At the sa ti, he looked at Locke and thought, 'This Eye Demon Wizard has even more thods than the rumors say.'
'How foolish of to dare offend him.'
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