Chapter 816: The First Mass-Producible Pure Magical Plant Second Circle Wizard Shoes!

After leaving Wizard Carter a name card, Locke sent the product information for the Great Blood Wave Bromeliad wizard shoes to Witch Scarlett for review and listed them on the product page of the Augustus Wizard Shoe Store Alliance on the water hyacinth system as his first formally pre-sold pair of Second Circle wizard shoes.

Witch Scarlett immediately sent him a query.

"Lord Locke, the production cost of a Second Circle magical plant should be several million magic stones, should it not?"

"Your new Second Circle pure magical plant wizard shoes are priced at one million magic stones?"

Locke of course understood why she was asking.

The price of Solas Light Foot and Melechi's Second Circle wizard shoes started at five million magic stones, that is, five million per pair. Second-tier and even third-tier wizard shoe brands like Blue Band started at two to three million.

The price of an ordinary Second Circle magical artifact was around one million magic stones.

In the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, this price was roughly equivalent to the price range of the First Circle million-tier magical artifact series.

But the million-tier magical artifacts of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands were themselves luxury items, and there were two reasons First Circle wizards generally did not purchase Second Circle magical artifacts. First, they were too expensive. Second, they could not be used, and attempting to use them could even cause a backlash.

Like a child swinging a great sword, it would only end up harming themselves.

Generally speaking, the average price for a normal crystalline-level magical artifact was around a hundred thousand magic stones, while an ordinary Second Circle magical artifact was around a million.

The Second Circle pricing of the Cloud Marsh Wetlands' wizard shoe store alliances was absolutely above the norm, especially for Solas Light Foot and Melechi Magic Step.

And the reason Locke had previously been unable to mass-produce pure magical plant wizard shoes was that even if a pair was sold at Blue Band's level of three million per pair, or even at those two companies' five million per pair, it would only barely cover the costs.

The reason was simple.

Magical plants were individual living beings, produced one at a time.

A pair of wizard shoes corresponded to two Second Circle magical plants. This had not been a problem at the First Circle stage, but at the Second Circle stage, because of virtual roots, the difficulty of obtaining them rose sharply, as did the cost.

Although Locke had previously used breeding techniques to graft the virtual roots of other magical plants onto the wizard shoe plants as a temporary solution, this could not be sold as a commercial product.

First, customers might not necessarily have the ability to maintain and use it. Even the virtual roots were temporarily grafted on and were unstable.

Second, the Second Circle wizard shoes produced in that manner, without the amplification of a Grand Magic like the Moon of Evolution, fell far short of the level of Second Circle wizard shoes in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands. The temporary virtual roots were too weak to supply the wizard shoe magical plants with sufficient energy.

It was only by relying on Locke's own botanical expertise that they could be used like normal Second Circle magical artifacts.

Furthermore, even by that method, the cost of cultivating a single pair of pure magical plant wizard shoes, taking into account the large quantities of virtual roots required, would skyrocket to over four million magic stones.

After all, the reason the Time Shadow Fern and the golden peach tree had so many virtual roots was precisely because these were special Second Circle magical plants starting at five million, not ordinary Second Circle magical plants.

The cost of one Second Circle magical plant, from cultivation to the virtual root expenses, was approximately two to three million.

But this was only Locke's ideal calculation, because in large-scale production the cost could rise even further.

Because this cost was built on his personal magical system and the level of his Grand Magic.

So it was no wonder that when he set the pre-sale price of a pair of Second Circle wizard shoes at one million magic stones, the price of the most ordinary magical artifact, Witch Scarlett rarely questioned him.

Witch Scarlett sent another message.

'Lord Locke, perhaps we should set the wizard shoes at five million magic stones. That would align us with Solas Light Foot and Melechi Magic Step. After all, we are two Second Circle magical plants, which cannot truly be equated with a pair of shoes made by magic weavers.'

'These are two magical plants, not a pair of magical artifacts.'

Locke understood what she meant.

In normal circumstances that would indeed be the case, but the problem was that he had found a temporary solution to the virtual root issue, producing the shared virtual root. That changed things.

The original biggest cost problem in producing wizard shoes had been the virtual roots, but now, because of the shared virtual root, these Second Circle pure magical plant wizard shoes were essentially nothing more than oversized First Circle magical plants.

So his production cost was actually very low.

Locke hired a magical carriage, left the Rose Council, and headed back to Golden Crown Mountain. On the carriage, he sent a message to Witch Scarlett.

"There is no need to worry. I have solved the virtual root cost problem, and the production cost per pair of shoes has been brought down considerably."

"The estimated production cost per pair, including promotion and distribution expenses, should be around five hundred thousand magic stones."

On the other side, Witch Scarlett was in her plantation in a colonial world. She read the message Locke had sent and froze for a moment.

"Solved the virtual root problem?"

"This..."

"If that is the case, then the biggest obstacle keeping breeding studies out of the wizard shoe field can be said to have disappeared."

Witch Scarlett could feel the weight of those words.

"If that is true, then the defensive and offensive positions are reversed. The cost of producing Second Circle magical plants would conversely become lower than the cost of producing Second Circle magical artifacts. Even if quality cannot catch up immediately, on the cost side it can turn the tables entirely."

Witch Scarlett swallowed, then opened the application interface for the Platinum Trader certification, thought for a moment, and directly submitted the application.

In Arthas, the Platinum Trader certification could only be applied for once every three years, and once an application failed, another could not be submitted within those three years.

But Witch Scarlett thought it through. If Locke had truly solved the Second Circle virtual root cost problem, it meant that Second Circle pure magical plant wizard shoes had been completely unlocked by Locke.

Even if this method of unlocking surely had many limitations, the Augustus Wizard Shoe brand would certainly be able to establish its footing and likely shoot straight into the third-tier wizard shoe store alliance ranking.

And if that were the case, she could fully leverage this achievement to obtain the Platinum Trader qualification in Arthas.

A flame flickered in Witch Scarlett's eyes.

"If I can get the Platinum Trader status, I will have the Platinum Gift Package resources, and I will have a real chance of reaching the First Circle crystallization limit of nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine magic pressure within three years."

"From there, I have a real chance of entering the soul decline period within ten years."

"And within fifty years, I may not necessarily be unable to accumulate the resources to break through and become a Second Circle wizard."

A flame called ambition ignited in Witch Scarlett's eyes.

"It is because I became Locke Augustine's trader that I could gain this kind of opportunity. Sometimes, a person really does need a bit of luck. Who could have imagined that becoming the trader for a senior researcher at Golden Crown Mountain would take me all the way from Silver Trader to Gold Trader, and now there is even a chance of becoming a Platinum Trader."

In essence, Locke was her project.

After all, Witch Scarlett was a group prophetic wizard of Arthas, working in market planning.

"Let me take a gamble."

Witch Scarlett sighed.

According to Arthas's unwritten rules, the first application to become an Arthas Platinum Trader came with a newcomer bonus that made the chances of success somewhat higher than any subsequent application.

If this time she bet wrong and the Augustus Wizard Shoe Store Alliance failed to become at least a third-tier wizard shoe store alliance, she would lose the advantage of her first application.

But Witch Scarlett at this moment decided it was worth one bet.

Witch Scarlett sent Locke a message, "I understand, Lord Locke. Everything will follow your pricing. I can immediately contact Arthas's plantations in the colonial worlds and arrange production for you. Since this involves a Second Circle-level plantation operation, many procedures will need to be followed, but I will arrange everything."

"As for the enchanters you will need, I will also find them for you. Please set your mind at ease."

Witch Scarlett thought for a moment, opened the internal group chat in the Gold Trader section of the Arthas water hyacinth system, and contacted another Gold Trader.

This was a good friend of hers, also a veteran Gold Trader who knew more people. Witch Scarlett felt that having her help would make things go more smoothly.

Inside her plantation, Witch Scarlett dismissed the local native servants attending to her and sat upright.

"But this is a negotiation at the Second Circle level, and things are certain to be complicated."

"Cultivating Second Circle magical plants requires the involvement of a Second Circle breeder."

"It will be extremely troublesome to deal with, though the hiring cost of Second Circle breeders in the colonial worlds is somewhat lower."

Witch Scarlett consulted her documents.

"Right, the First Circle wizards among the high elf race of the High Elf Great World can, under Arthas's training and following proper procedures, cultivate standardized Second Circle magical plants."

"At least simply growing a Second Circle magical plant from seed to maturity should pose no problem. Let us use the High Elf Great World's production line."

Witch Scarlett submitted her application to her superiors, but instead of the immediate approval she had imagined, Arthas's higher-ups sent back a query.

'Trader Scarlett, the High Elf Great World is one of Arthas's core bases.'

'The application procedures for the plantations there are very complex, and it is also a quite serious matter. If the plantations there are activated to produce magical plants for your partner and the investment cannot be recouped, this may well affect your rating and treatment.'

Witch Scarlett replied seriously, "Of course, supervisor. I believe the Augustus Wizard Shoe Store Alliance has excellent investment potential. I am willing to stake my future on it as a guarantee."

Inside the High Elf Great World.

This was a large-scale world and the reason for Arthas's wealth and strength.

Heith Harrington, as a sun ring wizard, read Witch Scarlett's reply and immediately frowned. He himself appeared to be an elf king of one of the elf kingdoms here.

The elf queen beside him, Ella Grant, who was in essence also a sun ring wizard, smiled and asked, "What happened?"

Sun ring Wizard Harrington said, "A crystallization wizard trader from the Cloud Marsh Wetlands and Golden Crown Mountain region has applied to use the plantations of the Elf Great World to have us produce products for her."

Elf Queen Ella Grant asked idly, "What are they producing?"

Sun ring Wizard Harrington said with a look of exasperation, "Wizard shoes."

Elf Queen Ella Grant looked completely baffled.

"Producing wizard shoes? Should that not go through the White Beastmen World? We have a production line there for that sort of thing."

Sun ring Wizard Harrington said quietly, "That is precisely what caught my attention and made me contact her directly. What she applied for was to have us produce pure magical plant wizard shoes for her partner's store alliance."

Elf Queen Ella Grant almost burst out laughing.

The High Elf Great World was both Arthas's greatest source of wealth and the homeland of the Fourth Circle Wizard Arthas, so Arthas's leadership was divided between the Cloud Marsh Wetlands headquarters and the Elf Great World, where they served as kings, grand dukes, and divine figures.

Elf Queen Ella Grant was mildly surprised.

"Pure magical plant wizard shoes? At the Second Circle level?"

"It is not as though there have never been first flashes of First Circle pure magical plant wizard shoes before, but they always disappeared quickly, and every time one appeared, the magic weavers' side, especially the magical shoes, reacted strongly. So first, no one has ever persisted in making them, and second, even if someone did persist, they would be blocked at the Second Circle stage."

"This would be the first time in a hundred years that someone has attempted Second Circle pure magical plant wizard shoes."

"Unprecedented."

Elf Queen Ella Grant thought, "Arthas's focus has always been on magical plants. If that is the case, this store alliance can be included in our key observation scope."

"Hmm? Wait, this store alliance has already sold three First Circle pure magical plant wizard shoe bestsellers. They also applied for a support grant and successfully met the corresponding benchmarks. This is a store alliance with great potential."

Sun ring Wizard Harrington wore a disapproving expression.

"Lady Grant, I have a different view on this. Over the centuries, you and I have traveled through how many worlds and witnessed how many things that started with great early momentum only to fizzle out in the end?"

"However, it is certainly possible to include them in the key observation scope. I also very much hope that the store alliances affiliated with Arthas will grow more and more prosperous."

"The greater Arthas's market share, the more Third Circle wizards it can support. Only if Arthas's market share expands once more can one of us, Lady Grant, or myself, have any chance of becoming a Third Circle wizard."

Queen Grant smiled with graceful composure.

"Pledging oneself to a teacher lineage is also a path."

"And if we can invest early in a store alliance with great potential, we would also gain corresponding resources."

Sun ring Wizard Harrington said, "But failed investments carry the risk of loss."

"Joining a teacher lineage means entering the faculty system. Mister Arthas and his people worked so hard to try to forge a new path outside the faculty system. Though, speaking of which, each of us does carry one or two faculty positions from some university, whether honorary or active."

...

At the Rose Council, the Solas Light Foot wizards all let out a collective breath of relief upon learning that Locke had left.

Moon ring Director Hormuz even smiled in one of the laboratories and said, "The nuisance has finally gone."

"It looks like he only stayed here for just over a month and probably gained nothing."

"Everyone, Melechi Magic Step has been far too brazen lately."

Hormuz addressed these important Second Circle wizards of the Solas lineage inside the laboratory and said, "Let us close the doors first and discuss among ourselves. Then we can take it to Solas Light Foot's technical symposium."

"I think we should sponsor an advertisement. For example, an advertisement in which a famous colonial world explorer puts a pair of shoes bearing the Melechi Magic Step logo under his rear end to use as a seat cushion, then puts on a pair of Second Circle wizard shoes made by Solas Light Foot."

"What do you all think of this advertisement?"

Inside the laboratory, many Second Circle and First Circle wizards broke into applause.

"I think that is excellent. It perfectly suits where Melechi's trash shoes belong."

"It really is not bad. Recently, the wizards wearing Melechi wizard shoes have been attacking our Solas Light Foot shoes quite a lot. I have a grievance against them."

"Our true rival is still internal. Melechi Magic Step is a rising force that has already surpassed us in multiple areas. Among the three major wizard shoe domains in the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, void exploration, athletic competitions, and the five great wars, we can only still hold our ground in void exploration. In the five great wars and the major athletic competitions, our sales share has been continuously declining."

"That is right. Only Melechi Magic Step truly has the strength, foundation, and scale to eliminate us. No matter what, we must not mistake who our true enemy is."

Moon ring Director Hormuz nodded in agreement, then sensed the vibration of his spiritual mushroom. He frowned slightly and opened it to check.

He found a large number of supervisors from lower-tier store alliances under Solas Light Foot's banner sending him distress messages. Blue Band's reaction was the most intense.

Blue Band Director Wizard Selma Weaver, an ordinary Second Circle wizard, kept sending him messages.

"Lord Hormuz, something is wrong, something is terribly wrong!"

Wizard Hormuz replied with some discomfort, "As a moon ring wizard, nothing is wrong on my end. I am perfectly fine."

Witch Selma Weaver quickly realized that in her haste she had phrased things in a way that could be misread and provoke irritation.

"I apologize, Senior Hormuz."

Witch Selma Weaver and Wizard Hormuz were both students of Hades, the sun ring wizard, who was a student of the Third Circle Wizard Solas.

Of course, as a moon ring wizard, Hormuz served as Solas Light Foot's supervisor, second only to one, above ten thousand.

He only needed to take orders from Solas Light Foot's board of directors, be overseen by the board of trustees, serve the shareholders' general meeting, and also show consideration for the face of Solas Light Foot's chief Second Circle designers, that is, the sun ring wizards and the very rare Third Circle wizards.

Of course, most Third Circle wizards had only established a cooperative relationship with Solas Light Foot.

A small portion of Third Circle wizards were members of the Solas Wizard's team.

Therefore, Solas Light Foot's normal structure as a store alliance actually only functioned at the Second Circle level.

At the Third Circle level, Solas Light Foot was merely a cooperative platform.

Or a cooperative association.

In the Cloud Marsh Wetlands, only the ten major store alliances had a truly Third Circle-level store alliance structure.

And now, all those Third Circle wizards had gone to the Genesis Academic Conference, which meant Hormuz's authority had greatly increased, and he and his mentor Wizard Hades had become the core members of the Solas Light Foot lineage at this time.

They were also important members of the Rose Throne's lineage.

During this period, Hormuz even felt a kind of elated satisfaction. After all, when the tigers are away, the monkeys rule the mountain.

At this moment, Witch Selma Weaver sent him a distress message, "Senior Hormuz, do you not know what has happened? The Augustus Wizard Shoe Store Alliance has put Second Circle wizard shoes up for pre-sale on the Arthas platform!"

Wizard Hormuz's eyelid twitched. "Pre-selling Second Circle wizard shoes? At what price?"

Witch Selma Weaver said, "One million magic stones."

Wizard Hormuz frowned. "One million magic stones? Two Second Circle magical plants? Has he gone mad? He is essentially selling one Second Circle magical plant for five hundred thousand magic stones?"

The Second Circle and First Circle wizards in the laboratory all looked at Wizard Hormuz.

What happened? What was this about five hundred thousand for a Second Circle magical plant?

Wizard Hormuz did not look at them but asked Witch Selma Weaver, "Are you certain his wizard shoes are priced this low?"

Witch Selma Weaver said, "This is why our reaction is so intense right now. This is nothing short of a market crash. The cheapest pair of Second Circle wizard shoes we carry at Blue Band is three million magic stones."

"A slightly better high-end version, a celebrity edition, is five to six million magic stones."

A look of disdain flashed through Wizard Hormuz's eyes.

In his view, those were all trash. Only wizards without money would purchase second-rate brands like Blue Band.

True explorers needed to purchase a pair of Solas Light Foot shoes before daring to enter void exploration.

Going into the void wearing Blue Band's garbage was simply being irresponsible with one's own life.

Wizard Hormuz frowned and opened the Arthas interface, reading the information there.

"It really is only a million magic stones."

He read the description of the magical plant traits and felt mildly relieved, because the Great Blood Wave wizard shoe's overall capability had not yet reached the average level of their Solas Light Foot ordinary Second Circle wizard shoes.

It had not even reached the average standard of a brand like Blue Band.

At the moment it was only approaching third-tier wizard shoe standards, roughly approaching the level of Vikos, Awesome, or Selandie. It was just that the price was truly too cheap.

So cheap it made one's scalp tingle. So cheap that a single Second Circle magical plant alone already cost more than this.

Wizard Hormuz's face darkened. "What on earth is he plotting? The price of Second Circle magical plants cannot possibly be this low. Is he selling at a loss?"

He looked at the people in the laboratory and said, "Everyone, Augustus Wizard Shoes has released a Second Circle wizard shoe."

The wizards in the laboratory, who had just been focused entirely on Melechi, were struck dumb. The entire laboratory fell so quiet that even a pin dropping could have been heard.

One wizard swallowed.

"Senior, was it not previously predicted that Augustus would only remain in the First Circle wizard shoe market? They actually entered the Second Circle wizard shoe market..."

Another wizard said, "Locke Augustine is a Second Circle wizard. He does indeed have the standing to sell Second Circle wizard shoes."

The first wizard shot back, "But that is not a question of standing. The question is how he is able to do it!"

Hormuz's expression shifted between dark and uncertain, because he could not judge how real this was.