Locke said to the dwarf scholar Ol, "By the way, I want to research materials on Ancient Creature Bloodlines. Can you recommend some?"
The dwarf scholar Ol nodded. "Ah, that's quite a niche and specialized field. Ancient Bloodlines are extremely difficult to obtain nowadays, making research very challenging. Ironically, the Black Wizards have many archaeological scholars who possess abundant materials in this area."
"However, Potionology Master Augustine, your request is still too broad. It's difficult for me to assist effectively—could you narrow it down further?"
Locke nodded in agreement. "Specifically, Ancient Creature Bloodlines with Gold element attributes, or resonance caused by two different Ancient Creature Bloodlines. Are there any articles on this topic?"
The dwarf scholar Ol's right eye rapidly flickered with various Runes. "There aren't many valuable articles on this subject. Lilith's Cottage isn't particularly skilled in this area."
"There are a few insignificant D-grade articles, one C-grade article, and two somewhat relevant B-grade articles."
Locke became interested.
The dwarf scholar Ol continued, "One is a comprehensive summary of Ancient Creature Bloodlines. Due to its thorough data, it was rated B-grade with 71 points by General Studies scholars at the time."
"He likely obtained some Black Wizard research materials through private channels, hence compiling a relatively complete list of Ancient Creature Bloodlines—including three ancient creatures mentioned with strong Gold Elemental Particles affinity."
"The second article was published by the same person. Its main content speculates that during the ultra-ancient era, there existed a type of mysterious factor that caused Magical Creatures of that time to be universally stronger than those today."
"It's an interesting hypothesis, but due to its lack of theoretical rigor, it only scored 70 points—barely avoiding being downgraded to C-grade."
"Breeder Augustine, would you like to exchange Contribution Points for these?"
Only a fool would spend 10 Contribution Points to purchase viewing rights for these two articles. "No, I'll purchase them for 100 Magic Stones instead. Right now. Can you convert these articles into physical documents for me?"
The dwarf scholar Ol replied courteously, "Of course. However, our Third-Class Wizard Apprentice staff will need some time to transcribe the materials. We'll deliver them to your specified location shortly."
"It should take approximately two hours."
"Rest assured, all materials transcribed by our scribes are carefully reviewed by wizards specializing in General Studies."
Locke nodded. "That's good."
"Just deliver them directly to my office at the Healing Hand Clinic."
After paying 100 Magic Stones, Locke left the public library—he had to visit the Healing Hand Clinic in the afternoon.
Last month, he earned a total of 1,200 Magic Stones at the Healing Hand Clinic.
It wasn't much.
But it was decent income nonetheless.
Completely curing a First Class Wizard Apprentice afflicted by a Curse required significant time and effort.
Typically, full recovery took over ten days—sometimes even a month.
Generally, a Potionology Assistant would earn less than a hundred Magic Stones for successfully treating a First Class Wizard Apprentice.
For lower-ranking wizard apprentices, treating them was almost like providing free service. The meager fees they paid went to the wizard academy and Wizard Mentors to cover equipment and venue costs.
A Potionology Assistant could treat five or six First Class Wizard Apprentices in a month—ten at most for the more experienced ones.
Locke's current income was comparable to that of a skilled Potionology Assistant only because Sophia didn't exploit him; instead, they split the earnings fifty-fifty.
This meant Locke could earn around three hundred Magic Stones from treating a single First Class Wizard Apprentice patient.
However, since it was his first month working at the clinic, his efficiency was still low. With Essie and Angulo's help, he had only managed to treat four First Class Wizard Apprentices this month.
And even that involved some luck.
Once, he misjudged the type of Curse Magic afflicting a First Class Wizard Apprentice, causing the patient's condition to worsen for several days.
Thankfully, Angulo and Essie had his back. Otherwise, dealing with the fallout alone would have been a nightmare.
Though such minor mistakes were common for novice Potionology Assistants, they underscored that working at the clinic was far from easy.
But now that he had mastered brewing the Lesser Emerald Potion, the number of patients he could treat each month would increase.
His earnings at the Healing Hand Clinic were poised to rise significantly.
Overall, due to exploitation by Wizard Mentors and the academy, as well as the limited financial capacity of patients, the income of Potionology Assistants at the Healing Hand Clinic was carefully calculated.
Neither too high nor too low.
That's why the clinic even offered a fixed monthly salary of 800 Magic Stones—modest but stable, ensuring no Potionology Assistant would suffer heavy losses or earn too little in any given month.
Some assistants, if they failed to control the cost of potions used, could even end up operating at a loss.
After all, if the clinic rewarded Potionology Assistants too generously, patients would no longer be able to afford treatment there.
Locke entered the clinic, nodding coldly at those who greeted him before ascending the spiral staircase.
'In general, any job that trades time for money won't be highly profitable. Working at the clinic can't compare to the earnings possible in profitable ventures like the Botanical Garden or a Personal Pharmaceutical Room.'
'It's like the difference between being an employee and an entrepreneur.'
'The only advantage here is stability. Meanwhile, countless First Class Wizard Apprentices who took loans to open their own pharmaceutical rooms or botanical gardens end up drowning in debt, scrambling to borrow from one place to pay another.'
Reaching the second floor, Locke noticed simple red decorations scattered around, as if celebrating something.
He quickly spotted his friends, Essie and Angulo, in the crowd and approached them.
"What's going on?" he asked. "What's being celebrated?"
Angulo turned to Locke and said, "Locke, the patient in Room 1 who was afflicted with the Mother-Child Giant Corpse Blood Curse has been cured."
"We're throwing a celebration banquet for him. The academy leadership considers this a historic moment where the younger generation of Lilith's Cottage triumphed over the Wizard Seeds of the Blood Curse Court. They've even invited a Speed Painter from the Enchantment School to document the occasion and requested everyone from our treatment center to participate."
Locke frowned slightly and nodded indifferently. "Who lifted the Blood Curse?"
Essie replied, "It was Angron."
"But that guy... his victory this time was hardly honorable."
Essie glared at Angron, who was basking in the crowd's applause, clearly displeased.
Angulo whispered a reminder, "Essie, keep your voice down."
She then explained to Locke, "Angron didn't break the Blood Curse through his own skill this time. To compete for the title of [Potioneering Rising Star] and secure more resources for Potionology within the school, he exploited the work of another First Class Wizard Apprentice under Mentor Harlan Vera."
"Apparently, that apprentice happened to be researching a potion targeting curses, and his results could be adapted by Angron to solve the Mother-Child Giant Corpse Blood Curse."
"That's why Essie said Angron's win wasn't fair."
Locke raised an eyebrow. "And that First Class Wizard Apprentice was willing?"
Angulo shook her head. "That's unclear. But I suppose he was."
"They're all part of the same network. Today he helps Angron; tomorrow, when he needs resources, Harlan Vera will have Angron return the favor."
"It's a kind of transaction."
"Rumor has it that to compete with Astrid, Miranda, and Albert for the Potioneering Rising Star title, Angron even tapped into Mentor Harlan Vera's connections, rallying numerous seniors to brainstorm ideas for him."
"Locke, you know how it is. The academy's Potioneering Rising Star title changes hands every year—only one is awarded annually, based on their performance scores in Potionology."
Angulo shrugged with a mocking smile. "For the past two years, Astrid held the title, so this year he's desperate to boost his Potionology performance score."
"Even if it means resorting to such methods."
"But then again, his Wizard Mentor dotes on him shamelessly, securing every resource he needs. He's got quite the luck."
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