Dean Tongus returned to his residence.

He looked at the three students, pleased with their progress. Patty Aisa and Kode Newman advanced steadily, but Locke’s speed slightly exceeded his expectations.

Initially, Tongus worried that without financial pressure, Locke might revert to laziness, needing a nudge.

But after months together, he dismissed that concern.

Among his three apprentices, Locke had the highest talent and worked the hardest.

Now, Tongus gazed at Locke with a smile, deeply satisfied.

After guiding Patty and Kode, Tongus turned to Locke. “You want to buy magical vine seeds?”

“Fair enough.”

“You’re ready to complete the spell model.”

Tongus explained, “Vine Hand requires specific magical plant seeds, as it’s a trick model derived from the full first-circle spell [Magic Vine Curse].”

“You need Mandrake Vine seeds.”

Tongus produced a graphite box, cautiously opening it to reveal four rough, thumb-sized, potato-like seeds.

Using tweezers, he placed one in a small pot filled with soil. “Mandrake Vine seeds, cultivated by our parent academy’s formal wizards over generations, are stable, resilient, and hard to kill.”

“Plant it in soil, and it’ll sprout. Water it weekly, expose it to sunlight daily, but avoid direct sun, like caring for a regular plant.”

“Though Mandrakes rarely die, poor growth quality affects your spell and your path to third-class apprentice.”

“You’ve studied Mandrake knowledge in your books.”

Locke nodded.

He also needed to irrigate the seed daily with his mental energy.

Initially, this was challenging.

As a novice with basic occult knowledge, manipulating mental energy to modify the seed was nearly impossible.

The seeds, designed by formal wizards with plant magic, made it feasible, but it still required time to learn mental energy irrigation.

Tongus said, “The first Mandrake seed costs 5 magic stones. The second has no discount, so 15 magic stones.”

Locke raised an eyebrow. “Dean, are these seeds that expensive?”

Tongus replied, “Of course.”

“Magic seeds rarely die.”

He covered the box with two silk layers. “Corfu’s magic resources are scarce. I only have four seeds. After giving you one, I’ll have three.”

“If a fourth prospect chooses Vine Hand in my lifetime, I’ll have no seeds to offer.”

“New magic resources only arrive when the dean changes.”

Locke nodded, abandoning the idea of asking for two more seeds.

Two reasons stopped him.

First, Corfu’s magic scarcity meant Tongus wouldn’t support it.

Otherwise, future prospects couldn’t choose Vine Hand for fifty years.

Tongus had to consider potential apprentices with high wood element affinity.

Second, synthesis brought unpredictable changes.

Rashly synthesizing his most critical item risked failing Vine Hand.

That would be a loss.

‘I’ll wait until I leave Corfu, cross the Endless Mystic Sea on a wizard ship, and reach the southeast quadrant. Then I’ll buy Mandrake seeds for synthesis experiments,’ Locke thought. ‘Now, my goal is to use the Deep Blue Jade to become a third-class apprentice and master my first spell.’

Tongus said, “By the way, Locke, your family came looking for you recently.”

“They were stopped by academy guards and have some troubles, but I resolved it and arranged housing nearby.”

“Here’s their address.”

Locke paused, engrossed in studies and forgetting the Augustine family.

Glancing at the address, he thanked Tongus. “Thank you, Dean.”

Locke stood, gathered his books, picked up the Mandrake seed pot, nodded to Patty and Kode, and left.

Despite focusing on studies, he’d heard news from Corfu.

The Frankish Empire, after conquering Anjou, attacked the Norman Kingdom, destroying it in four months.

Another sixth of the academy’s students now faced the same awkward situation as Anjouans six months ago.

The Augustine family, in letters, mentioned fleeing Anjou to join distant relatives in Norman.

With Norman’s fall, they were desperate, risking pursuit to reach Aurelian.

Their luck held, as Locke’s wizard prospect status granted them academy protection.

With the Frankish Empire conquering two kingdoms, and the remaining four kingdoms’ combined territory smaller than Frank’s, Aurelian was likely their only sanctuary.

Walking the academy’s elegant corridors, Locke saw Norman students lamenting Frankish atrocities, while Frankish students mocked them.

Locke thought, ‘The Frankish Empire aims to unify Corfu Island. It’ll grow chaotic, sparking a world war engulfing everyone.’

“Peace will vanish.”

‘But it doesn’t concern me much.’

‘In a year and a half, I’ll leave on a wizard ship. With my ties, the Augustines should gain Tongus’s protection, living safely near Aurelian.’

Catching sight of Professor Alder in the elegant garden corridor, Locke saw him nod with a smile, greeting him, then stride toward the weeping Norman students.

Clearly, he was targeting these newly displaced students.