This wizard only wishes to be a teacher

But when he thought about Carly, who was currently lying in the heart of the secret realm undergoing the ritual baptism, he couldn’t help but feel emotional.

After a long time, Gagarin nevertheless let out a gentle sigh.

After all, he was no longer the same naïve, somewhat arrogant yet fearlessly brave boy who had just entered the Wizard World.

Now, he possessed a very qualified "Wizard’s mindset," and consequently, he subconsciously considered the wizards’ creed of equivalent exchange, pondering what it was about him that Lucien might value as a "bargaining chip."

At the same time, Gagarin was contemplating the purpose of Lucien’s summons, considering what "value" Lucien needed.

"Actually... this situation isn’t too bad either. At least it’s better than when I was following Lilia," Gagarin smiled after a moment of silence, seemingly using the smile to mask the nervousness and awkwardness within, yet deep down, he couldn’t help but look forward to the instructions Lucien had mentioned.

"Right, Lord Lucien seems to have a large demand for Moonlight Moss recently. I’ll get up early tomorrow morning and gather some more, whether it’s needed or not..." Gagarin had just entered a meditative state when he simply opened his eyes, stood up, and hurried to the woods where the Moonlight Moss grew under the cover of night.

...

The next morning, when Lucien finished his night-long meditation and stepped out of his study to get some air, he saw Gagarin, who had already found a quiet spot nearby to sit and meditate silently.

By his side, there was a small pile of Moonlight Moss, some of which even had dewdrops glistening on them, as if they had just been picked.

"So early?" Looking at Gagarin, who was quietly waiting in meditation, Lucien raised an eyebrow but soon realized the reason and could only silently lament the difficulties these weaker Wizard Apprentices faced in seizing an opportunity.

However, Lucien did not speak out. After observing quietly for a while, he returned to his study and then fetched the initial draft of the Wizard’s Notes to continue revising and adjusting it.

When it was almost time for their scheduled meeting, Lucien put down his work, walked out of the study, and then at the doorway, he saw Gagarin standing respectfully. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Lord Lucien," Gagarin bowed, his tone filled with the respect and humility of a subordinate.

"Hmm, come in," Lucien nodded slightly and led Gagarin into the room.

Gagarin took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He carefully followed Lucien into the study, or rather, Lucien’s temporary laboratory, his emotions fluctuating slightly, nervous about his fate to come.

Under Gagarin’s anxious and hopeful gaze, Lucien looked at him, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke.

"Gagarin, you want to work with me in the future, don’t you?" Lucien asked slowly.

"Yes, Lord Lucien," Gagarin bowed again, but inside, he was extremely nervous. Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided to offer a significant bargaining chip for himself.

"Lord Lucien, I’m only two spiritual runes away from being promoted to a Third-level Wizard Apprentice. I’m willing to follow you, and even after being promoted to a Third-level Wizard Apprentice, I will also..."

Lucien looked at Gagarin, slightly amused.

It seemed this guy had placed all his bets on him, and according to Gagarin’s intentions, this was already akin to selling himself, a kind of concession usually made between a Third-level Wizard Apprentice and a Formal Wizard.

"I understand," Lucien said softly, interrupting Gagarin’s "sales pitch."

After a moment of thought, Lucien pulled out a prepared list.

"Here’s the thing, although I don’t plan to take on students currently, I indeed need some people to assist me with work when I return to the academy..."

Gagarin, nervous, glanced upward, carefully observing as Lucien handed over the paper.

He had thought it was a strict contract, but on closer inspection, he realized it was just a list.

"Lord Lucien...what is this?" Gagarin looked at the list Lucien handed over, momentarily puzzled.

"Equivalent exchange," Lucien gently tapped on some numbers behind the list, indicating for Gagarin to take a look first.

Gagarin held his breath and then quickly started to browse through it.

standard unit of Magic Stone... 10 points

standard unit of Moonlight Moss... 2 points

...

standard unit of Recovery Potion... 100 points

standard unit of Praise of Moonlight... 2000 points

...

Greybone Meditation Method (Improved)... 10000 points

...

Gagarin’s breathing slowly became somewhat heavy.

He looked at the exchange list, scanning the items, knowledge or other resources listed, feeling his eyes reddening.

"Sir, is this?" Gagarin thought of a possibility, and he couldn’t help but look up at Lucian.

"You work for me, and I’ll compensate you with points according to the seriousness, results, and value of your work,"

Lucian looked at Gagarin and pointed towards the small pile of Moonlight Moss he had just moved in. "For example, you have 29 basic units of this Moonlight Moss, which according to my established purchase price, amounts to 46 points."

"You can use these points to exchange for any item, knowledge, or other resource you want from my list. Of course, if you want the knowledge listed here, an additional confidentiality agreement has to be signed," Lucian, with a smile, pushed the list towards Gagarin and shrugged. "Everything is an equivalent exchange."

Gagarin took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.

Equivalent exchange? Nonsense equivalent exchange. When he was following Lilia, she also spoke of so-called equivalent exchange, but in the end, the benefits always eluded him, while the dangers invariably sought him out.

If Lilia’s equivalent exchange had been as open and fair as Lucien listed in this inventory, then Gagarin wouldn’t have teamed up with several second-level Wizard Apprentices on his way to Kosai Island in order to protect himself.

After all, many of the resources listed in Lucien’s exchange list, were enough to drive second-level Wizard Apprentices, even third-level Wizard Apprentices to desperation.

For example, the Magic Potion [Praise of Moonlight], which was a precious potion that could harmlessly assist Wizard Apprentices in enhancing their spiritual power, a cherished potion that was hard to buy even with Magic Stones. If Gagarin could take a dose of Praise of Moonlight, he would be able to smoothly advance to become a Third-level Wizard Apprentice!

Not to mention the many other resources, including some precious witchcraft models, and...

"Sir, this...the improved basic Meditation Method?" Gagarin, looking at one of the items on the list, couldn’t help but look at Lucian in surprise, his heart extremely uneasy.

"Oh, that’s just a slight variation I made using the Greybone Meditation Method, improving its effectiveness by about fifty percent," Lucian briefly explained.

This improved version of the Meditation Method was actually Greybone Meditation Method Enhanced. Although it didn’t compare to the Greybone Meditation Method Enhanced II that Lucian himself used, it was naturally much more powerful than the original Greybone Meditation Method.

Even in Lucian’s plans, if conditions allowed, he would also bring out the Greybone Meditation Method Enhanced II to "entice" these Wizards.

But definitely not now, for with the power of Greybone Meditation Method Enhanced II, releasing it might provoke the coveting and competition of Formal Wizards, even higher level Wizards. Lucian was quite clear about stretching himself according to his means.

Yet even so, this relatively modest Greybone Meditation Method Enhanced, as regarded by Lucian, had already made Gagarin’s breathing heavy, and his entire body tremble slightly.