Half a month later.

In Locke's room on Dwarf Street.

Locke placed the Moonlight Elixir, obtained from Witch Sophia, on the table. The liquid in the glass bottle shimmered like flowing moonlight, each drop sparkling with crystalline particles.

He uncorked the bottle. The elixir had to be consumed within half an hour of opening, or its properties would change.

Locke drank the Moonlight Elixir in one gulp. A faint, radiant glow spread across his body, and a silver crescent moon pattern appeared on the back of his right hand.

At the same time, moonlight streaming through the open window transformed into a beam of particles, entering Locke's body and beginning to enhance his mental strength.

Locke quickly retrieved a Rose Red Jade from the desk drawer. The strange substance within the jade flowed into his mental strength alongside the moonlight, rapidly boosting it.

Half an hour later, Locke had fully absorbed the strange substance from the Rose Red Jade. He opened his eyes and stood up. "So that's how it works."

"The Moonlight Elixir contains the unique bloodline power of the dark elf race. After consuming it, I gain part of their talents, allowing me to absorb moonlight to accelerate mana recovery and meditation efficiency."

He looked at the crescent moon pattern on his hand, a sign that the dark elf talent was taking effect.

This effect would last about three years. After that, the racial bloodline abilities granted by the elixir would completely fade.

Locke thought, "Now I have a rough idea of what one of the main ingredients in the Moonlight Elixir is."

The wizarding world was cruel, and the origins of many magical materials could be described as bloody.

Locke then glanced at the Rose Red Jade, now a plain white gemstone.

Through attending the Universal Studies course taught by the dark elf Sasari, he had learned what the Rose Red Jade truly was.

This gem was extremely precious in the southeast quadrant because it was not produced in the wizards' territories there, making its price far exceed its inherent value.

A Rose Red Jade the size of a fingernail often cost hundreds of magic stones and was rarely available.

Such gems originated in the distant underground world, the Obsidian Underground Domain, controlled by black wizards.

Locke felt fortunate that he hadn't ignorantly tried to trade this gem for magic stones.

Doing so would have brought a heap of trouble far outweighing the profit from the magic stones.

Thus, it was better to use the Rose Red Jade himself rather than exchange it for magic stones.

Locke reflected, "According to the Universal Studies course, the Rose Red Jade contains a special type of ether element particles, which remain largely mysterious and unexplored to wizards."

"They hold many secrets yet to be fully understood."

"But one thing is certain: wizard apprentices can absorb these ether element particles to increase their mental strength, and the purity of the mental strength gained is remarkably high."

A flicker of concern crossed Locke's eyes. "But Sasari said that because obtaining Rose Red Jade is so difficult in the southeast quadrant, almost no wizard can use it long-term to advance by absorbing its special substance."

"Thus, wizards in the southeast quadrant are unsure whether mixing too many ether element particles into a wizard apprentice's mental strength is good, bad, or might cause unusual effects."

Due to the lack of this resource in the southeast quadrant, research in this area was not very advanced.

Locke shook his head. "Forget it. No need to overthink."

"For now, everything happening to me is positive."

"Even if there are side effects, it doesn't matter."

"As long as I become a first-class wizard apprentice or even a formal wizard, there will be plenty of ways to clear any lingering issues."

Locke recalled what Witch Sophia had told him: most wizards had some quirks or ailments.

This was because many wizards, in their rush to advance or due to a lack of proper guidance, ended up with various side effects.

It was almost inevitable.

Many magical fields were explored and used simultaneously.

Locke tossed the empty glass bottle and the depleted jade into the trash. Without its special substance, the Rose Red Jade looked no different from ordinary waste stone, requiring no special disposal.

Locke said, "I've attended part of the Universal Studies course. Tomorrow, I might start learning the breeding course from Teacher Sophia."

"I don't need to excel at it. As long as I have the title and study for half a year, I can sell enhanced magical plants at the Chimera Trading Market."

"That way, I can earn plenty of magic stones to buy courses and equipment I wanted before."

"And pay off that fifty-year academy contract."

"Plus, I need to buy a meditation technique so I can aim to become a first-class wizard apprentice within five years."

Five years from now, Lilith's Cottage would halve its support for him. After ten years, if he still hadn't become a first-class wizard apprentice, the academy would essentially give up on him.

Generally, if a wizard apprentice failed to become a formal wizard by age forty, the chances of doing so would drop significantly.

Thus, the time limits set by Lilith's Cottage were essentially the maximum grace period for a wizard apprentice who progressed at the slowest acceptable pace.

Locke had heard from other wizard prospects that other wizard academies were even stricter. For example, Virdantia University gave only three years to become a second-class wizard apprentice and seven years to become a first-class wizard apprentice.

It was said that top-tier wizard organizations in the southeast quadrant, like Four Seasons Garden, had even harsher requirements for wizard prospects.

This was why the wizarding world was so brutal: every step was a race against time, competing with countless wizard apprentices for limited resources.

Locke heard a knock at his door. Opening it, he saw Lorne and Pierre.

Lorne and Pierre looked somewhat reserved.

Locke asked curiously, "Lorne, Pierre, it's late. What's up?"

Lorne hesitated before saying, "Locke, Pierre and I heard you became a second-class wizard apprentice."

"You're about to move out of Dwarf Street to Diagon Alley. Congratulations, Locke. I never expected you to be the first among us to reach second-class wizard apprentice."

Pierre added, "Congratulations, Augustine."

"I heard your actual aptitude is higher than what was tested, like a misjudgment. I'm so jealous..."

"Lorne and I don't know how many years it'll take to become second-class wizard apprentices. One year! Your aptitude is almost on par with those Level 6 aptitude apprentices."

"Locke, let's go out for a meal. You're moving soon, and we probably won't see each other much in the coming years."

Locke nodded and said to them, "Sure."

"I was just thinking of inviting you both out for a meal."

"I believe you two will move to Diagon Alley soon as well."

Seeing that Locke's attitude hadn't changed despite becoming a second-class wizard apprentice, Lorne and Pierre relaxed, their faces breaking into smiles, becoming much more at ease.

The distance between the three melted away instantly.