Wizard: Starting With Synthesized Gems-Chapter 105: Psychological Imbalance Among Peers

Yuri Burns said to Locke, "Dear Locke, my friend, if your new work passes academy procurement, I'll have my shop assistants notify you."
"Good." Locke glanced at the several second-class wizard apprentices standing to the side, being very careful and cautious.
These second-class wizard apprentices seemed very afraid of Yuri Burns. Even while Yuri was talking with him, they would glance at her from time to time.
They were probably afraid of performing poorly and being dismissed by Yuri. After all, Yuri was the manager of Lijin Secret Language, and Lijin Secret Language never lacked second-class wizard apprentices wanting to be hired.
For second-class wizard apprentices, becoming an employee of Lijin Secret Language was one of the higher cost-performance jobs they could find.
Lijin Secret Language would distribute a certain amount of magic stones to them monthly, and working at Lijin Secret Language allowed them to come into contact with large amounts of magical plants, learn about the latest magical plants in Lilith's Cottage, and interact with many high-level wizard apprentices.
Even in the depths of Lijin Secret Language, there were some formal wizard-level magical plants.
Therefore, even though Yuri Burns had all sorts of harsh requirements for them and scolded them daily, making them tremble with fear, they dared not voluntarily resign and leave such a rare job opportunity.
Locke casually mentioned, "Your shop has added some new people recently, Yuri."
Yuri laughed hoarsely several times, making a raspy sound. "Yes, hired three new people."
"Previously, several employees broke a pot of Black Mandrake while moving magical plants, so I dismissed them, and they also owe Lijin Secret Language a huge debt."
Yuri didn't care much, even showing some schadenfreude, "Lijin Secret Language's money isn't easy to owe. I heard they've already gone to sign those harsh loan agreements from the outside world to repay Lijin Secret Language's debt."
"After all, Lady Irina has a whole bunch of industries in Chimera Trading Market." Yuri smiled and said, "Some shops are quite short of 'people', like the [Blood Collection Station], [Potion Testing Shop], and [Combat Training Partner Shop] that Lady Irina opened in Chimera Trading Market."
"In this world, owing so much money is a very terrifying thing."
"But even the poorest second-class wizard apprentices have their own uses, they themselves have value. Repaying debts is natural and justified, it's just that under normal circumstances, we wouldn't go that far."
"The White Wizard Association has some restrictions on this." Yuri let out an aged laugh. "But if someone always owes money and doesn't repay it, whatever happens would be understandable."
"Speaking of which, we first-class wizard apprentices are actually the same, it's just that the value of our abilities exceeds the value of our bodies." Yuri seemed to think of her own poor financial situation and sighed.
Yuri looked at Locke and said, "Want to go to the Witch Kitchen in Chimera Trading Market for lunch together, Locke?"
"I have some matters related to academy procurement that I can explain to you while we're there."
After thinking for a moment, Locke agreed, leaving only the trembling second-class wizard apprentices in the Lijin Secret Language shop.
Seeing Yuri leave with Locke, they all breathed sighs of relief and felt grateful to Locke for temporarily taking Yuri Burns away.
A female second-class wizard apprentice patted her chest, leaned against the counter, and panted, "Manager Yuri finally left the shop for a while. Her personality is too strange. I'm almost unable to bear it anymore."
"I feel like I'm just her punching bag in this shop."
A male second-class wizard apprentice interjected, "Actually, there's a whole bunch of second-class wizard apprentices outside waiting for us to leave here. Only when we leave and free up positions can they come in. But I didn't expect Manager Yuri could speak so politely to people. Who was that person? He looked very young."
A second-class wizard apprentice named [Isaacs] who had remained silent said uncertainly, "That person seems to be from my cohort. But I'm not sure."
Horror appeared on his face.
"My aptitude is level 5, and it took me two years to become a second-class wizard apprentice, and through great hardship, I finally passed Lijin Secret Language's assessment and became a shop clerk here."
"The wizard seedlings from my cohort who had the same wizard mentor all marveled at my speed and envied me for entering Lijin Secret Language. But that person has already become a first-class wizard apprentice and can stand on equal footing with Manager Burns."
Disbelief appeared on his face. "If he's really from my cohort, then he only took two years to become a first-class wizard apprentice. This is too incredible, the speed is too fast."
Information communication among wizards wasn't that well-connected.
After all, Lilith's Cottage's territory was vast, and following different wizard mentors, they might even be located in different cities.
And Locke's initial aptitude appeared very ordinary, he wasn't a wizard seedling that everyone focused on back then, so many wizard seedlings from the same cohort still didn't know about Locke's rapid advancement to first-class wizard apprentice.
These people were themselves still in dire straits, working hard to advance to second-class wizard apprentice, so naturally they didn't have much spare time to inquire about others' news.
Isaac swallowed hard. "When I go back to attend classes taught by the senior who teaches substitute lessons, maybe I can ask. Those first-class wizard apprentices should know who newly advanced to first-class wizard apprentice."
An old shop clerk at Lijin Secret Language spoke up, "Don't bother asking your senior, lest you get scolded again."
"That wizard is named Locke Augustine, a breeding genius. When he first came to our shop, he was indeed just a second-class wizard apprentice, but he advanced to first-class wizard apprentice within a year."
"So he should indeed be from Isaac's cohort."
Isaac and the two new shop clerks were all somewhat stunned by this news.
Isaac said, "But this is too unfair. Doesn't anyone else think so? We've worked hard for so many years, yet some people can easily achieve those accomplishments that we can only obtain through effort."
"It took me two years to finally move from Dwarf Street to Diagon Alley."
The old shop clerk sighed and consoled him, "Although you're from the same cohort, some people are destined to soar high. People like us can only work our way up slowly. You shouldn't compare yourself to those true prodigies, and besides, you're already quite lucky. It took me four years to become a second-class wizard apprentice, and I tested for this shop for three full years before finally becoming a clerk here."
"Compared to me, you're already very excellent, Isaac."
"People are different from each other. In the eyes of those second-class wizard apprentices outside Lijin Secret Language, aren't those who can enter Lijin Secret Language and work for a full year also prodigies?"