In his office, Professor Alder saw Locke and paused, then broke into a sincere smile, showing some gratitude. “Locke, you’re here.”

Seeing Locke standing at the office door, unwilling to step inside, Alder smiled, turned to the three students copying historical texts, and said, “Keep working.”

“Come, Locke, let’s go somewhere else.”

“A safer place.”

After they left, the three students in the office exchanged glances, including Cohen Julian.

Pale-faced, Cohen Julian looked up at the departing figures of Locke and Professor Alder, clenching his fists.

Why was Professor Alder so restrained, even slightly ingratiating, toward Locke Augustine, a fallen noble without a kingdom?

What was the difference between him and that guy, Locke?

Cohen Julian wanted to escape the office.

But he recalled his father’s letter from two nights ago, angrily scolding him for not contributing to the family or serving the revered Frankish emperor loyally. He could only lower his head and continue copying texts.

He had enjoyed too much of the power brought by the Julian family. Every gift from fate had a hidden price tag.

Now was the time to repay his family.

In a long-unused classroom at Aurelian Academy, Alder opened a box. Half of it contained a dissected, abnormally large crab with a shell not of chitin but gray stone.

The stone crab’s shell had red patterns.

Its massive stone pincers bore some scars.

Locke asked, “Is this the magical creature from the sea’s world, a stone crab?”

Alder, somewhat excited, replied, “Yes. The wilderness across the sea is far more dangerous than Corfu Island’s. It’s full of perilous magical creatures.”

“Stone crabs are one of them.”

“They’re relatively long-lived, with lifespans nearing three hundred years. I’ve long been intrigued by them, believing that unraveling the secret of their longevity could significantly extend my life.”

“Of course, I lack the skill for such complex research, but I was lucky. A formal wizard at Virdantia University conducted this experiment, and I joined as an assistant.”

“The experiment never fully succeeded, not until I came to Corfu Island.”

“But it produced some byproducts, like the Stone Crab Bloodline Modification Potion, which can harden a wizard apprentice’s skin and internal organs to resemble a stone crab’s.”

Alder said nostalgically, “If I weren’t desperate, I wouldn’t risk modifying my bloodline with this.”

The other half of the box contained nine stems of three unknown flowers, three round stones, three bottles of alcohol, and three syringes of blood.

A fleeting ice-blue rune flashed on the inner surface of the wooden box, then quickly faded, as if its magic had dissipated.

Alder said regretfully, “This box can only be opened once. After that, its magic loses effect.”

“The materials inside can no longer be preserved at low temperatures. If not used soon, they’ll become unusable. Locke, I’ll guide the preparation, but you’ll execute it.”

“My mana is too coarse now for precise work.”

Locke said, “I’m ready to start anytime.”

He touched the Deep Blue Jade ring on his right hand. The ring’s craftsmanship was clever: an ordinary sapphire encased a Deep Blue Jade, so outsiders would only see the outer sapphire.

The Deep Blue Jade, hidden beneath, acted like a filter, reducing his mental energy fluctuations to half their original amplitude. This had greatly aided him in constructing his first spell model.

Meanwhile, the illusory Horadric Synthesis Cube in Locke’s vision spun rapidly, each rotation sparking a burst of magical energy.

The cube was synthesizing, using three Level 4 Deep Blue Jades to create a Level 5 item.

Since becoming a third-class wizard apprentice, the Horadric Synthesis Cube could now produce items one level higher.

However, the synthesis time for a Level 5 item required 24 hours.

Synthesizing a Level 4 item took only three hours, but a Level 5 item demanded an entire day.

Alder adjusted his monocle. “The first step is to isolate the stone crab’s unique bloodline, then combine it with the bloodline isolation essence injection potion my mentor created. This allows us to precisely extract the needed portion of the stone crab’s bloodline.”

Locke glanced at the three syringes in the box, presumably the bloodline isolation essence injection potion.

Alder pulled a set of dissection tools from his pocket, using a small knife to cut and dismantle the stone crab’s shell with precision.

His movements were practiced, handling various tools with ease. As promised, he explained the process while working, helping Locke understand the rationale behind each material preparation step.

Per their agreement, Locke would assist with the potion-making, and in return, Alder would provide knowledge and the Skull Explosion spell model.

Soon, the stone crab’s shell, tail limbs, mouthparts, walking legs, and chelipeds were separated and categorized.

However, Alder carefully avoided damaging the main blood storage areas: the gill cavity, joint cavity, and pericardial cavity.

Alder said, “A major value of low-level magical creatures lies in their blood. Dissection must carefully separate bones, flesh, and shell while avoiding damage to the heart, blood vessels, or, for creatures like stone crabs with open circulatory systems, the primary blood storage areas.”

“This prevents material waste or loss of the material’s spirituality.”

“Some experiments are like gambling. Wizards can’t always be certain which misstep might cause subtle spiritual damage to materials, leading to vastly different results.”

Alder said calmly, “This is basic content from the Material Handling course, Locke. Listen carefully.”

“I’m teaching you this for free.”