Chapter 58: Mentor Harlan Vera

Yuli Burns took Sophia's certification document from Locke's hands with visible surprise. The document bore the personal seal of the witch Sophia.

Every Formal Wizard possessed their own unique seal, enchanted with special magic from the Enchantment School, making it nearly impossible to counterfeit.

After carefully examining the seal's significance, Yuli confirmed this was an authentic certification issued by a First Circle Wizard who was simultaneously a First Circle Breeder and First Circle Potion Master.

Her eyes then fell upon the performance specifications of the Super Mandrake Vine listed on the document. "Strength and speed exceed the Tiff Loron Vine by 15%, while flexibility is 1.1 times that of standard quality Tiff Loron Vine."

"If these test results are genuine, then..."

Yuli looked up at Locke with unprecedented seriousness, remembering his claim that this work had been completed under Sophia's guidance.

This meant that despite substantial assistance from a Formal Wizard, the creation itself belonged to this Second-Class Wizard Apprentice standing before her.

A Wizard Seedling who had only arrived at Lilith's Cottage slightly over a year ago, coming from the mundane world overseas!

All traces of natural condescension toward Locke as a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice vanished from Yuli's mind. She now regarded him as an equal.

After all, in the academy's eyes, a Breeder Assistant—especially a highly talented one—might hold comparable or even higher status than a First Class Wizard Apprentice.

Though admittedly, as a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice, Locke remained considerably inexperienced in combat and other magical disciplines compared to First Class Apprentices.

Yuli amended her statement: "With certification from Formal Wizard Lady Sophia, there's naturally no need to doubt its authenticity."

"Locke, you're truly fortunate. Though of course, this fortune is built upon your own talent." Yuli cast an envious glance at Locke. "You've encountered an excellent mentor, and you yourself possess remarkable gifts."

Her address had shifted from "junior" to simply using his name.

Yuli continued: "Unlike me—my luck has been rather poor. Locke, do you know I was assigned to Mentor Harlan Vera's group immediately upon entering Lilith's Cottage?"

Locke nodded. "Mentor Vera is among the most accomplished Potion Masters at Lilith's Cottage."

His potion-making skills far surpassed even Mentor Sophia's.

After all, he was an established Formal Wizard, reportedly nearing three hundred years old. The old codger maintained peak physical condition through potions, showing no signs of Mana decline.

Who knew how many more years Harlan Vera planned to live?

Yuli sighed. "But Mentor Vera adheres strictly to the genius theory."

"Wizard apprentices like us with mediocre talent never enter his consideration. His eyes only see celestial prodigies—people like you."

"Not just Teacher Vella, many Formal Wizards are like this. Quite a few Wizard Mentors even treat their students merely as experimental subjects—testing newly created spell models on them, or using them as free labor with little real knowledge being imparted."

Yuli seemed genuinely upset, but she quickly changed the subject. "Let's get back to business. Lijin Secret Language usually charges a 20% to 30% commission fee for procurement."

Locke raised his eyebrows, surprised by how steep Lijin Secret Language's fees were.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

In most cases, Breeders selling their Magical Plants through Lijin Secret Language were at a relative disadvantage.

Lijin Secret Language had a stable customer base and could sell at higher prices—far more profitable than Breeders trying to market their products themselves.

Most Breeders also preferred not to waste precious research time on commercial activities.

However, his situation was special. The Super Mandrake Vine shouldn't be hard to sell—it just lacked recognition for now.

Yuli pointed to the rows of Vine Language Boxes on the shelves, each about the length of an arm. The dark green boxes were intricately woven from delicate, intertwined magic vines, forming an exquisite container.

All Magical Plants at Lijin Secret Language were stored in these Vine Language Boxes to maximize preservation.

Yuli said, "This is our standard-quality Tiff Loron Vine, priced at 20 Magic Stones."

She opened the Vine Language Box, revealing a Tiff Loron Vine inside, complete with roots, stems, and leaves.

"Locke, Lijin Secret Language has a second consignment method—reserved for masterpieces or exceptional works by apprentices under special circumstances, like your new Magical Vine variety developed under Lady Sophia's guidance."

"I can purchase your Super Mandrake Vine outright at 20 Magic Stones per plant."

"You won't need to worry about sales afterward—I'll hand you the Magic Stones directly."

Yuli continued, "From now on, you can sell them this way each time you visit. As you can see, even our retail price for Tiff Loron Vine is only 20 Magic Stones."

"It's a fair price."

Locke shook his head slightly. "A buyout works—it's simpler for both of us."

"But I disagree on the price. 20 Magic Stones won't do. I want 30."

Yuli raised her brows, surprised by how stubborn this Second-Class Wizard Apprentice was.

She shrugged and smiled diplomatically. "Dear Locke, you can't expect Lijin Secret Language to make no profit at all, can you?"

"You've seen it yourself—Tiff Loron Vine sells here for just 20 Magic Stones, and the purchase price is even lower."

Locke wasn't backing down. "You can price my Super Mandrake Vine higher."

"That's up to you. I don't care."

"For wizard apprentices, a Magical Vine with roughly 15% better overall performance is worth spending extra Magic Stones on."

Yuli pondered for a moment, weighing her options. Recalling Madam Irina's previous reprimands and considering that Lijin Secret Language indeed needed to introduce a new Magical Plant variety that customers would remember, she smiled and said, "Alright, Locke, let's settle on 30 Magic Stones. Consider it your senior making a friend."

"Locke, Lijin Secret Language will always welcome talented Breeders like you."

"That makes a total of 900 Magic Stones. I'll count them out for you now."

Locke nodded and ordered his two Gray Dwarf servants to deliver the goods.

Turning to Yuli, Locke said, "Senior, I can't be bothered with too much hassle. From now on, any works I have will be entrusted to Lijin Secret Language."

Delight flashed in Yuli's eyes as she quickly responded, "Of course, dear Locke, you're practically my savior."

"If that's the case, I'll do my best to offer you satisfactory prices for all future transactions. Lijin Secret Language has a vast enough clientele to handle all your commissions."

Yuli handed Locke a sack of Magic Stones and a badge. "Dear Locke, this is Lijin Secret Language's Platinum Star Member Badge."

"With this badge, you'll receive a 5% discount on all Magical Plant purchases at Lijin Secret Language. Consider it a gift from your senior."

Glancing at Locke's two Gray Dwarf servants, Yuli smiled and said, "Dear Locke, Gray Dwarfs make selfish, cowardly, and weak-willed servants—not very useful at all. You should really visit the slave market at Chimera Market to purchase some quality attendants."

As the manager of Lijin Secret Language, Yuli naturally wanted to maintain good relations with a genius Breeder like Locke, so she deliberately offered a favor. "Recently, a batch of Catwoman Queens with ancient Bloodline was sent to Chimera Market at Lilith's Cottage."

"They were obtained after the destruction of a beastman empire in a mortal region of the southeastern corner. Though Catwomen aren't rare, these Catwoman Queens are said to carry a trace of the ancient creature Bloodline [Three-Eyed Tiger Eye Cat], making them excellent whether as servants or experimental materials."

Yuli smiled and added, "Dear Locke, if you're interested, you can visit the [Slave Warehouse] at Chimera Market."

"Not many know about this yet, so you should still be able to get some."

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