Magic Stones are commonly used resources in the Wizard World, often serving as currency. Earning more Magic Stones is indeed very necessary.
However, the process of concocting "Puwu Water Fragrance" is time-consuming and labor-intensive, with profits being quite low.
Previously, under pressure from the Cleansing Tower, he had no choice but to work in silence, but now he could consider other options.
As he pondered, he noticed the items being sold by apprentices at several stalls.
Roy stepped forward: "This is a meditation potion..."
In the exquisite glass bottle, a translucent light blue liquid emitted a faint wave of magical energy.
He observed the color and sniffed the scent, roughly deducing that this was actually a diluted concoction.
"A strong smell of alcohol and unknown additives; the waters here run deep...
Producing these also requires capital, as well as a stable supply and sales channel.
If I were to get involved in the production and sale, it would surely infringe on the interests of others, and it might not be a good way to make money.
But sometimes, opportunities must be fought for, and one cannot help but fight."
Roy thought to himself.
"Please, spare me! I won't dare again!"
"Please, have mercy on us..."
At that moment, several cries of despair echoed.
"It's the people who lost their residency being caught by the enforcement team!"
Renien, who had been checking another stall, walked over with a hint of glee on his face.
"Give them a good beating!"
The small leader of the enforcement team, also a mid-level apprentice, ordered with a fierce expression.
Several subordinates began to punch and kick the eliminated individuals, beating them nearly to death, then dragging them away like dead dogs.
"What fools, trying to sneak into the second layer to evade the Cleansing Tower!"
Onlookers nearby laughed and commented.
"Not everyone is that foolish; at least those who obediently stayed at the camp outside the tower, waiting for the boat, are still quite a few who are willing to follow the rules."
"At this time of year, we can receive quite a number of servants and experimental materials. Why don't we go take a look?"
"Of course we should go! The good stuff has long been reserved by those high-level apprentices and even the wizard lords, but last month there was a major accident in the tower, and many people died. We might just find a bargain."
...
"This really is a place where people eat people..."
The crowd listened, filled with emotion.
If they hadn't successfully advanced to mid-level apprentices, they might have ended up in such a fate.
"Why not go take a look then?"
Renien suggested again.
"The trading fair after the Cleansing Tower?"
"I've heard of it before, but I've never seen it with my own eyes."
"It would be good to take a look!"
Everyone agreed.
That evening, behind the Wizard Tower, at the temporary camp.
The eliminated individuals were expelled from the tower and gathered to stay temporarily; next to the shabby tents, belongings were scattered, and junk was strewn across the ground.
Faint sobs could be heard from within, made even more desolate by the distant howls of wolves.
Around eight o'clock, many people moved to the open space in front of the Wizard Tower's main entrance.
Illuminating magical devices were hung on tall poles, and over a hundred wizard apprentices, of varying ranks, emerged from within.
Roy was among them.
These former peers became excited.
"Please, pick me! I can endure hardship! I can endure a lot of hardship!"
"I, I am willing to be a test subject..."
"Master, as long as I can stay, I am willing to do anything!"
When a person is about to drown, they truly grasp at any straw for salvation!
Perhaps the strict treatment of apprentices by the Wizard Tower is precisely to force people into a corner.
Only in this way can they completely abandon their dignity and reason, being molded into the form that the Wizard Tower desires.
He thought to himself.
"Shut up!"
As the scene became chaotic, a high-level apprentice stepped forward.
She was tall, with a fierce appearance, her face adorned with rows of black nails, and her left eye was a mechanical prosthetic designed to resemble a monocle, seemingly a product from another world.
Even more shocking was that her skull appeared to have been blown off in some experiment, replaced with a transparent glass material.
Her white brain was on full display.
"This person seems to be called Sophia?
I remember now; even among high-level apprentices, she is quite famous!"
Roy looked at her, and many memories related to her surfaced in his mind.
The apprentices had certainly heard of her, and soon quieted down.
In early June, before the Forbidden Experiment accident in the tower, she had already been considered one of the best among high-level apprentices.
Having survived an external mission, she had leaped to the pinnacle of apprentices.
In a short time, with no new leaders emerging, the Wizard Tower might also lean towards cultivating her, as she was a "quasi-wizard," a term used for elite apprentices who stood between formal wizards and ordinary apprentices.
"I need someone willing to offer up their brain, regardless of gender or qualifications..."
Sophia naturally prioritized her selection.
But after she spoke, there was a moment of silence.
"Offer up... a brain..."
After a moment, the crowd began to buzz with whispers.
Sophia said, "I am conducting research related to the 'Brain in a Jar.' If all goes well, I will abandon this body, which is equivalent to the peak of a great knight, and gift it to the collaborator.
You need not worry about any hidden agendas after I leave this body; these can be guaranteed through a wizard's contract.
Before that, I can grant the collaborator the rights equivalent to a mid-level apprentice, allowing them to study freely within the tower and strengthen themselves to increase the success rate of the research."
The crowd erupted in an uproar, discussing excitedly.
"The old body that the senior sister doesn't want!"
This senior sister Sophia had suffered severe injuries due to experiments, and the potions she took had ruined her health and beauty, so she had always wanted to change her body, also seeking power to break through and advance.
But everyone knew that even with the use of magic, the operation of brain transplantation was extremely dangerous.
Such generous conditions were almost equivalent to buying a life.
"I... can I do it?"
Just when everyone thought this transaction would fall through without anyone showing interest, a timid voice rang out.
A girl with simple clothes and braided hair stepped forward.
"Of course you can, but my research requires high cooperation. Are you really sure?" Sophia asked.
"I'm sure; I don't want to be sent back like this." The braided girl's expression suddenly became incredibly resolute.
Sophia said, "Good, what is your name?"
"Celine," the braided girl replied.
Sophia nodded, "Come with me."
As the two left, the crowd stirred.
The power of example is boundless; soon after, high-level apprentices each proposed their conditions, reaching multiple transactions.
However, compared to their ability to openly protect residency, mid-level apprentices could only achieve their goals by exploiting loopholes in regulations or bribing enforcement team members.
The tower turned a blind eye to this.
Because even the wizard lords needed slaves, needed test subjects, needed all kinds of "resources."
Over the years, unspoken rules had formed, roughly one quota per person, with a fee of 50 Magic Stones per month.
(End of Chapter)