The research lab was still brightly lit late at night, blending into the endless stream of light of the Crystal Tower, becoming an inconspicuous little spark.
Ron sat alone at the oak desk, with a detailed and astonishingly comprehensive list of personal assets spread out before him.
His Library of Consciousness only stored core important content, so he still honestly noted down some basic data records himself first.
"It has been a year and one month since I became an Official Wizard..."
His fingers gently caressed the calendar with dense markings, each red dot representing an experiment or a breakthrough.
The passage of time felt so real, yet so unreal, as if just yesterday he was troubled over the materials for a basic Magic Potion in the Black Mist Jungle.
And since the end of that "Rainbow Ring" competition, seven months had already passed.
Ron’s gaze fell on the official notice at the corner of the desk, exuding a faint pressure.
Every letter on it was written with special magical ink, constantly asserting its strong presence:
"Mandatory participation notice for the ’welcome ceremony’ of the triumphant return of Great Wizard Cassandra Saint Manzhi"
"Mandatory" — this word itself revealed the nature of this event.
In a place like the Crystal Tower, where academic freedom is the idea, it was rare to use such forceful language.
But now, all personnel above Official Wizard level must attend the welcome ceremony, with no exceptions, no excuses.
This was not an invitation; it was an order.
At the end of the notice, there was a line of small words written in dark red ink:
"Absentees will be considered to challenge the authority of the School Alliance, with consequences at their own risk."
That bloody color reminded Ron of the scars he had seen on explorers at the Abyssal Outpost.
"Next week, this leader figure of the Conquest Faction will return to the Crystal Tower..."
Based on the information he had gathered from various channels.
Cassandra had brought back a significant amount of unprecedented knowledge and resources from the conquest war in the Otherworld.
These gains would provide the Conquest Faction with strong discourse power.
For those traditional faction members unwilling to follow the radical route, the coming days would likely not be easy.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to refocus on the asset list in front of him.
No matter how the external situation changed, accumulating one’s own strength was the most reliable guarantee.
[Financial Status: Currently holding 52 complete Magic Stones]
This number had undoubtedly increased quite a bit compared to before, giving him some solid security.
The most stable source of income was his fixed salary as a Teaching Assistant.
Two complete Magic Stones per month, totaling 12 over six months. Although not a huge amount, it was stable and reliable.
Moreover, with the spread of his "Treasure-level Genius" reputation and the exceptional effects of the improved formulas in practice, his client base expanded fivefold in just a few months.
From initially just a few Apprentices, to now a stable network of clients, including several Official Wizards.
Orders for Magic Potions alone brought 6-8 complete Magic Stones in income each month, which was already quite substantial for Wizards of the same level.
The unexpected delight was the course income.
Due to outstanding teaching quality, along with student word-of-mouth recommendations, his three courses were renowned throughout the Crystal Tower.
Each semester’s course selection numbers were at the enrollment limit’s edge, and the price, twice that of other Teaching Assistant courses, not only didn’t deter students, but became a symbol of "value for money."
Course fees alone brought in 4-5 complete Magic Stones each month, which amazed many senior Lecturers.
Expenses mainly concentrated on purchasing experimental materials, various auxiliary tools, and maintaining "Ink," this special existence.
Though the Autophagic Slime Monster was a life form he created by himself, it required consuming a large amount of Abyssal Materials to maintain its optimal state.
Especially after the exposure incident with Franka’s blood sample last time, "Ink" required extra nutritional supplement for recovery.
But overall, the financial situation was quite healthy, even to the point of being considered wealthy.
This inevitably reminded Ron of the days in the Black Mist Jungle when he had to meticulously plan for a few Magic Stone Fragments.
That kind of impoverished plight seemed like another lifetime now.
Other than Magic Stones, there was the situation with Contribution Points.
This was what he was most concerned about currently, in an academic institution like the Crystal Tower, Contribution Points often reflected a person’s real value more than Magic Stone assets.
[Three research papers have accumulated Contribution Points: 3800 points]
The first paper "Design and Optimization of the Mobile Simulation Battle Device" brought him 1200 points, a rather good start.
The second paper "Discussion on Commonality in Advanced Magic Potion Improvements" earned 1300 points, where the detailed analysis of the energy structure optimization plans for over a dozen common Magic Potions was deemed to have significant practical value by the review committee.
The third paper "The Promotion Mechanism of Positive Mutations in Bloodline Modulation" also earned 1300 points, attracting attention from some veteran Bloodline Modifiers based on his innovative discoveries in practice.
Teaching Contribution Points: 600 points
This mainly came from cumulative rewards for daily teaching work and the outstanding results students achieved in various tests.
Elite Team Development Reward: 800 points
Herman’s successful entry into the 34th position in the Candidate Wizard sequence brought him a 600-point talent cultivation reward.