Chapter 727: Chapter 706: Level 2 Advancement Plan

Although currently it seems that there isn’t much business to be done on Florence Continent, at least for the Giant Rock Commerce Association, it’s not within their business scope.

However, now that the Wizard Council has approved the Vivian Cottage as a Wizard Organization, it’s foreseeable that in the future, wizard influences will gradually emerge on Florence Continent.

Vivian Cottage is just a hint, and the significance behind it is not simple.

If the Giant Rock Commerce Association can seize this opportunity and establish a foothold early on Florence Continent, it will surely be beneficial for future development.

For them, this is simply an investment, at most leading to some losses, but not affecting the core.

After dealing with the material support matters for Vivian Cottage, Duke pondered slightly, and his consciousness sank once more into the depths of his mind, triggering another familiar Wizard’s Mark, the one belonging to Merrick.

This friend, who is high-profile, incredibly talented, and has fought alongside him many times, is one of the few peers on his wizard path with whom he can communicate equally and share resources.

The connection of the mark was almost instantaneous, and Merrick’s iconic spiritual wave, tinged with a bit of a playboy’s confidence, came through, still direct and familiar:

"Duke? A rare guest indeed. I heard you returned to your old home on Florence not long ago and cleared away some pesky bugs? How’s the scenery back home? Does it look as it did in your memory?"

"Seems you’re quite busy recently. The Void Insect Race matter was a year ago; I just came back from the East Coast," Duke said casually. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Yes, I’ve been pretty busy lately, but..." Merrick’s spiritual wave revealed obvious pride, "things have come to a close on the Devourer Plane. It was a legion task, so I retreated after gaining enough contribution. However, a couple of months ago, I went to the Howling Abyss Plane; it’s a ghostly place filled with negative energy and ancient grudges, quite suitable for me."

He paused, and the transmitted thought carried a sense of accomplishment: "Pretty lucky, after some effort, I finally got a Soul Devouring Curse Crystal of very pure quality.

You know, for those of us who specialize in the Curse Element, this thing is key to completing the last piece of the crystalization phase."

He was naturally referring to the crystal core needed to ascend to Level 1 Crystalized Mage, which contains high concentrations of pure and specific attribute energy.

This is a rare resource essential for Merrick’s plan to achieve liquid-solidification of spiritual power and form a spiritual power crystal unique to his attributes.

The crystal core of the Curse Element is very rare, only slightly less rare than the Light Attribute crystal core.

"Congratulations," Duke sincerely transmitted his congratulatory thought.

With Merrick’s exceptional talent and the protection of a mentor like Master Land, his ability to obtain resources far exceeds that of regular wizards, so it’s no surprise that he could quickly find a suitable curse crystal core.

"Looks like you’re not far from crystalization. When do you plan to start the push?"

"Pretty soon, once I handle a few small things and adjust my state to the best, I’ll make my move," Merrick replied, full of confidence.

With his accumulation and preparation, coupled with this precious curse crystal, the chances of successfully advancing to a Crystalized Mage are very high.

He then asked back, with a friend’s curiosity and competitive mindset: "Enough about me, how about you? You’ve been a Crystalized Mage for a while now. At this stage, it’s probably not so easy to climb higher, and it would take a long time. You better keep at it, don’t get overtaken by me..."

Duke was silent for a moment, seemingly considering how to express himself.

Then, he responded with a relatively straightforward, yet information-packed spiritual thought: "Progress is alright, my primary focus recently has been on preparing to advance to a Level 2 Mage."

On the other end of the mark, Merrick’s spiritual wave suddenly stalled.

It was as if a torrent of information collided with an invisible dam, creating a brief emptiness and chaos.

A few seconds later, Merrick’s thought came back intermittently filled with disbelief, astonishment, and a touch of disrupted bitterness:

"Wait... wait! Did you just say... Level 2? Preparing for the Level 2 Mage advancement?!" His spiritual tone heightened, full of shock, "Duke! How long has it been since we last parted? How long has it been since your crystalization success? You... you’ve already reached the spiritual power threshold, and even prepared an Energy Well?!"

Merrick could not help but be shocked.

According to the common knowledge of wizard advancement, transitioning from crystalization to qualifying for a Level 2 breakthrough requires a long, painstaking accumulation process. Not to mention the difficulty of acquiring an Energy Well, which is valued at over ten million magic stones and is a strategic resource without a market.

He himself was meticulously preparing and slightly prideful for the imminent crystalization breakthrough, expecting that even with Duke’s prodigious talent, he would at most progress faster in the post-crystalization accumulation stage. He didn’t imagine Duke was already nearing the threshold of the next stage.

This wasn’t just a faster pace; it was a leap.

Duke could clearly sense the violent fluctuations in Merrick’s spiritual waves, and the satisfaction from obtaining the curse crystal and preparing for crystalization seemed like it was doused with cold water, replaced with a massive impact and a slightly wry smile.

"Yes, luck was on my side. I went to the East Coast and, by chance, solved the Energy Well issue," Duke naturally wouldn’t disclose too much about his secrets and simply glossed over it, "as for spiritual power, due to consuming some spiritual power-enhancing resources, the growth was slightly better than expected."