Locke spent two thousand Magic Stones to secretly purchase 28 bottles of Magic Potions from their shop before leaving the Owl Cauldron store.
Then, as evening fell, Locke followed the agreed plan and covertly made his way to a small port in the harbor city near Lilith's Cottage.
This was one of the many minor ports in the harbor city, a coastal port. Beyond the Southeast Corner Domain, not all waters immediately counted as part of the endless mystic sea.
The coastal regions were relatively safe.
Even if there were some aggressive aquatic Magical Creatures, the danger wasn't particularly severe.
But once you left the coastal waters, everything changed completely.
The endless mystic sea was an ocean where even Formal Wizards had to tread carefully—some areas were absolutely off-limits.
This was no ordinary sea. Its unfathomable depths, like an abyss, concealed countless mysteries beneath its surface.
Rumors said that even long-extinct ancient sea creatures might appear in the endless mystic sea if luck was against you.
Even a Wizard Ship piloted by a Formal Wizard could be destroyed by a sudden encounter with some sea monster or an ancient dragon king.
Or worse—sailing along only to stumble upon a massive oceanic whirlpool the size of a continent. Disasters of that scale were enough to claim the lives of most Wizards.
It was a realm entirely different from the safety of land.
The endless mystic sea seemed to connect different times and dimensions.
Locke had once read records of people who set sail and, after three years, accidentally wandered into some eerie dimension—only to return and discover that centuries had passed in the material world.
But in coastal waters, it was just an ordinary, very safe sea.
The ship at this small port was one that wealthy mortals from the harbor city near Lilith's Cottage would use for travel.
Locke deliberately removed his Wizard robe, stored all his Magic Plants in the Astral Ring, and dressed in attire befitting a medieval nobleman.
A fitted doublet, purple-dyed hose, and a semicircular cloak edged with silver pins—paired with his flawless physique from Ancient Creature Bloodline Modification—made him look like a dashing and handsome elven ranger.
By the time Locke arrived at the small port, Sophia the Witch, two First Class Wizard Apprentices, and a female First Circle Wizard he had never met before were already waiting there.
At the moment, they had all disguised themselves and suppressed their Magic Pressure, appearing no different from ordinary nobles.
Locke knew the plan: they would pose as a group of mortal nobles smuggling goods into the mortal territories under the Blood Curse Court's jurisdiction.
This was plausible because the civilization level of the mortal world under the Blood Curse Court lagged far behind that of the White Wizard's domain. It was common for mortal nobles to risk long, perilous journeys to transport goods between the two regions.
The Blood Curse Court governed too vast a territory to effectively restrict such trade flows.
Upon seeing Locke's arrival, the group immediately stirred into action. The witch Sophia couldn't help but smile slightly at his attire. "Locke, this is far too exaggerated. I assume you've never conducted an undercover operation before?"
Locke asked, "Teacher, what's wrong?"
"Is the image I'm impersonating not similar enough to mortal nobles? I specifically researched the common attire of mortal nobles in Lilith's Cottage territory before coming..."
Witch Sophia exchanged a glance with another Formal Wizard, Bena Gabriel, before smiling and explaining, "It's not about the clothing, but your demeanor."
Sophia raised an index finger and wagged it. "Your presence is simply too striking."
"Ordinary mortal nobles are nothing like you."
"Even if we threw you into a crowd of mediocre people, everyone's eyes would immediately be drawn to you."
Sophia then handed Locke a Potion. "But don't worry—this is the Thousand Faces Potion."
Locke looked down to see a gourd-shaped glass vial containing purple Magic Potion. This was his first time holding a first-circle-level Potion—a genuine Magic Potion. Unexpectedly, it came in this form and served a functional purpose.
Locke's expression shifted slightly. "Teacher, this is too valuable. At my current magic level, how could I possibly use a first-circle-level Potion?"
Sophia waved it off. "After consuming the Thousand Faces Potion, you'll temporarily gain partial abilities similar to a Shapeshifter from the Transformation School for one month. This will allow you to quickly alter your appearance, demeanor, and soul aura during this period."
"Actually, every participant in this operation will receive a free bottle of Thousand Faces Potion. I brewed these myself—the cost isn't high."
Sophia's expression turned serious. "The challenge of this mission lies in eliminating an enemy Formal Wizard deep within their territory."
"Therefore, we must avoid drawing any attention. The Thousand Faces Potion is essential—for both infiltration and escape."
"Without this level of Potion, you'd easily be detected by their Curse Inspectors. Once discovered, we'd face encirclement by their Wizard forces."
"At that point, retreat would be our only option."
Locke nodded. "I understand, Teacher."
He opened the vial and drank it in one gulp. The Thousand Faces Potion had an exceptionally gentle effect. He only sensed countless magical energies silently merging with his Bloodline Factors, temporarily granting him an incredibly powerful Bloodline Passive Spell that required minimal Mana expenditure.
This Spell was essentially a first-circle-level Transformation Spell.
"This is like a trial version of a first-circle-level appearance-altering Transformation Spell," Locke mused. "First-circle-level Potions truly are miraculous."
"Even Shapeshifters can make significant progress in Transformation Spells after just one dose of Thousand Faces Potion. Though we outsiders don't understand Transformation Spells, we still gain a month's worth of transformation experience out of thin air."
"Moreover, all the magical energy required for transformations is supplied by the Potion—we don't need to expend any ourselves."
The witch Sophia smiled at the formal wizard Bena Gabriel beside her, saying, "Well, isn't my student quite interesting?"
Bena Gabriel chuckled. "He seems to get along quite well with your temperament."
Sophia looked at Bena Gabriel with keen interest. "Bena, why don't you make a divination for my student? See what his future holds?"
The witch Gabriel quickly waved her hands. "Absolutely not. Divining another's future would bring severe backlash upon me. A single session would cost tens of thousands of magic stones."
"I can't possibly do this for free, you know."
Sophia teased, "He's just a wizard apprentice—how much backlash could there be?"
Gabriel grew serious. With her snow-white hair, delicate features, and notably absent eyebrows, she explained, "It's not about magical rank."
"Divination School magic is the most complex."
"If your student possesses extraordinary future potential, the backlash upon me would be equally immense. Should he have high chances of becoming a formal wizard, divining his path while he's still an apprentice would inflict far greater backlash than divining for an ordinary formal wizard."
Gabriel added, "Unless he asks about some trivial matter."
"But I suspect, Sophia, that's not what you had in mind."
Sophia had no choice but to relent. "Locke, let me introduce you. This is the witch Bena Gabriel."
"She is also a student of Madam Morgana."
"Madam Morgana has some expertise in Divination School magic, and Witch Gabriel is currently one of our school's most advanced diviners."
Sophia then gestured to the two first-class wizard apprentices beside her. "This is my friend Albert, also the Potionology wizard seed of Lilith's Cottage for this generation."
"And this is also my friend, Captain Andy Layton of the combat squad. He's a professional Incinerator. Incinerators are those among wizards specializing in the fire magic sub-discipline of the Shaping School, dedicated to mastering flame magic for annihilating enemies."
(End of Chapter)