Locke looked at Witch Sophia with confusion. "Teacher, if I pass all subjects in this Breeder examination, can they still prevent me from qualifying?"
Witch Sophia shook her head. "No. The chief examiner this time is very principled—she would absolutely never do such a thing."
After some thought, Locke nodded. "Then, Teacher, I still want to participate."
"I still want to give it a try."
Mainly because if he didn't take it this time, he would have to wait another year.
He had only spent two years becoming a First Class Wizard Apprentice—waiting an extra year for no reason would seem strange.
Since they definitely wouldn't deny his results, then there was no issue.
Thanks to the Memory Ointment, he was already familiar with most of the Breeder's knowledge.
As for the Magic Resonance Breeding Method, he had also achieved some small successes.
Although this breeding method required a lifetime of practice and mastery—there was practically no end to learning it.
Besides, if he could obtain the Breeder Certificate as soon as possible, it would also greatly benefit Witch Sophia's resume.
Locke had always known that Witch Sophia was continuously undergoing remote teaching assessments from wizard organizations in the Star Domain Sea.
Witch Sophia nodded in satisfaction. "I expected this reaction from you."
"As long as you can handle your own affairs properly, you've already won half the battle."
"Many people fail to realize this. They waste their time on too many meaningless things." Witch Sophia handed Locke a document. "This is the Breeder's Code of Conduct—memorize it."
"Remember, you must memorize it completely, from start to finish, word for word. You'll need it during the exam."
Locke asked curiously, "Teacher, the traditional Breeder examination consists of three rounds: the first tests theoretical knowledge, the second tests the Magic Resonance Breeding Method, and the third requires completing the special cultivation of a Magic Plant within a set time."
"The Code of Conduct isn't part of the exam scope..."
"Alright." Locke conceded. "I understand, Teacher. I'll memorize it faithfully."
With the Memory Ointment, this wouldn't be difficult.
Though Locke didn't understand why Witch Sophia wanted him to do this, his intuition told him it was better to memorize it.
Witch Sophia said to Locke, "Good, then go. I have my own matters to attend to."
As she watched Locke leave, Witch Sophia frowned slightly. She picked up a Magic Book from the table and murmured thoughtfully, "Madam Morgana will undoubtedly be very strict with you."
"I don't know whether letting you take this exam is for the best or not."
"But I still want Madam Morgana to meet you."
...
After leaving Sophia's office, Locke immediately went to his Personal Pharmaceutical Room in another city.
By now, the pharmaceutical room had been properly renovated and was fully equipped with a production line—specifically for the Lesser Emerald Potion.
This production line, including the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method, processing primary raw materials, and waiting for various reactions during potion preparation, could all be handed over to the three Wizard Seedlings under Locke's guidance and his assistant Tilly.
By eliminating a significant amount of repetitive, labor-intensive tasks that Locke would otherwise have to handle himself, he could cut the time required to brew the Lesser Emerald Potion by half while expending only half the effort.
Similarly, large-scale production equipment for mass-producing Advanced Growth Serum Gel was also in the process of installation and debugging.
The three Wizard Seedlings under Locke's supervision were still in the learning phase.
In the future, Locke planned to recruit more wizard apprentices to expand the production lines in his Personal Pharmaceutical Room.
Inside the Pharmaceutical Room, Locke glanced at his assistant Tilly, who was currently working at the operation table on the Lesser Emerald Potion production line. Using the Mana Centrifugal Extraction Method, she was separating Dryad Bloodline and preparing other raw materials.
Locke turned to Tilly. "Wasn't Pierre supposed to come for the cognition experiment this afternoon? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Tilly set down the potion in her hands, belatedly realizing. "Ah? Sorry, boss."
"I really didn't notice that."
"Pierre is rarely late. It's unusual that he hasn't reported in by now." Tilly's expression darkened as she guiltily glanced up at Locke, afraid he might be angry.
Pierre was crucial for the human trial data on the Memory Ointment—the more critical the stage, the more attention he required.
A bad feeling rose in Locke's chest. "I warned Pierre and Raun before not to take any undead-clearing missions outside the academy recently."
"Could they have gone out anyway?"
"Pierre's unique constitution makes him an easy target."
Especially now that Locke was the developer of the Crystal Palmfire Lotus—he had likely already drawn the attention of the Blood Curse Court.
Given Pierre's close ties to him and his frequent presence in the lab recently, it wouldn't be surprising if he had been marked by a Blood Curse Court spy.
Seeing Locke's grim expression, Tilly panicked. "Boss, I'll go look for him right away."
Inside the Pharmaceutical Room, the three Wizard Seedlings peeked over curiously.
Locke frowned and said to Tilly, "Enough. Where would you even look for him? Stay here."
"Continue producing the Lesser Emerald Potion. I need at least five bottles brewed before I head to the Healing Hand Clinic tomorrow."
"Tilly, you and my three juniors keep working."
Tilly quickly nodded in agreement as Locke hurriedly left the Pharmaceutical Room.
Seated atop an Engel Swift-Spin Snail, Locke examined the Omen Mandrake Vine coiled around his right hand and noticed its color had faintly turned red.
"Two weeks ago, I placed a leaf from the Omen Mandrake Vine on Pierre—now that seems like a very wise decision."
"Whoever's behind this must be targeting me, otherwise my Omen Mandrake Vine wouldn't have turned red. It only reacts to hostility directed at me."
"Probably some reckless wizard apprentice from the Blood Curse Court causing trouble."
Locke grasped the faint connection between the leaves of the Omen Mandrake Vine in the void and its main body, then commanded the Engel Swift-Spin Snail to race swiftly in that direction.
Riding the Engel Swift-Spin Snail was much faster than traveling there on his own.
"We'll pass through Inverted Alley, where the Second-Class Wizard Apprentices reside," Locke pondered.
"Pierre is crucial to my human trial data for the Memory Ointment. He's about to become a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice—I can't let all my efforts go to waste at this critical moment."
"I recall that the shapeshifter Gabby also lives at Inverted Alley No. 231. When it comes to tracking people down, a shapeshifter is the best bet. I'll have him help me pinpoint Pierre's exact location."
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!