After glancing at the registration paper, Ivan tried to ask, “Your Excellency, I am now at least a 2nd Class apprentice, could you perhaps register me more meticulously? It would facilitate other sorcerers in choosing.”
Sorcerer Joseph glanced at him sideways, and the paper and pen floated directly in front of him.
Ivan wasn’t shy; he grabbed the pen and began to write swiftly. He had to record his identity as a potion maker, the insect control matter couldn’t be omitted, he even mentioned the rapid wood silkworm and the freezing water midge.
“Are you sure?” Joseph took the paper and was somewhat incredulous when he saw the words “potion maker” on the first line, suspecting that Ivan was scribbling nonsense.
“I can guarantee that not a single word is written carelessly,” Ivan hurriedly assured him.
Experience more on empire
Joseph set the paper aside and gestured for him to hurry out.
It was not until Ivan came out of the room that the second newcomer went in to pay the fee.
One by one, the newcomers entered and then came out, until the last one finished testing and registration, all of them stayed in a corner of the great hall, hoping for a mentor to choose them.
Conley suddenly asked, “What Class talent is everyone here?”
As the prince of the Aromatic Wheat Dukedom, his words carried some authority. Ed answered him, “I’m 3rd Class. What about you, Your Highness?”
Conley frowned in displeasure, “I’ve said it several times, there are no princes here, call me by my name.”
“Mr. Conley, your talent must be quite good, right?”
“It’s only 4th Class.”
4th Class was also upper class, exceeding most people, and Conley was undoubtedly a notable presence.
Ed turned his head and asked Ivan, “Mr. Ivan, do you mind sharing?”
There was nothing to hide, Ivan casually answered, “3rd Class.”
Seeing this, the other people from the Aromatic Wheat Dukedom each disclosed their own talent, either 2nd Class or 3rd Class; the person Ivan knew, Mellie, was also 3rd Class.
The situation wasn’t good, as only Conley was of the 4th Class.
Only Ivan knew that the Aromatic Wheat Dukedom didn’t lack other 4th Class or even 5th Class talents, but under Toyennes’s influence, one had died and another drifted far away, leading to a decline in talents from the Aromatic Wheat Dukedom this session.
According to relevant information, a 5th Class talent had a relatively high probability of becoming an official sorcerer, the likelihood for 4th Class talents decreased by about twenty percent, even less for 3rd Class, very low for 2nd Class, and nearly impossible for 1st Class.
The death of Billerie was a significant loss to the academy.
Conley said, “The situation is not optimistic. We all come from the same place; let’s take the chance to take on tasks together in the future.” They were in the Task Hall, where they had seen apprentices taking on tasks and forming their own teams.
The others nodded in agreement; coming from the same place and knowing each other’s backgrounds provided them with some level of trust.
“This is bad, I’m late.” An abrupt voice sounded, as a short figure hurriedly ran into the great hall, muttering anxiously. As he ran past, he asked a few people, “Gentlemen, the testing and registration are inside, right?”
“Yes.”
“See you in a bit.”
This was a young man dressed in an apprentice robe, who quickly ran into the testing and registration area.
The others exchanged looks, wondering who this person was, while only Conley appeared contemplative.
After a while, the young man walked out from the inside. His face appeared youthful, seeming two to three years younger than anyone else present, resembling what Ivan would call a “little shota” in his former life.
“I’m glad I made it, otherwise my sister would have caught me and given me a fierce scolding,” the young Carmel muttered to himself as he approached the group, and stood right next to Ivan. Both were in apprentice robes, one gray and one blue with hints of frosty white.
He familiarly said to Ivan, “I’m Carmel Lidia, with a 4th Class talent.”
Ivan paid attention to his delicate and tender face, which undoubtedly belonged to a boy, only it was slightly too soft: “Ivan, 3rd Class talent.”
Carmel’s eyes widened in astonishment: “You are that ‘Ivan Marichardon,’ the disciple Sorcerer Toyennes took from outside?”
Had the news spread so widely? Ivan raised an eyebrow, always feeling that Toyennes had left him a big mess to deal with.
Carmel seemed to guess what he was thinking and explained with embarrassment: “Don’t worry, I just glanced at your information by accident while I was at Sorcerer Lancer’s place, just took a glance.”
As he spoke, he gestured with his finger, emphasizing that he had only glimpsed it by chance.
Ivan nodded subtly, but inside he speculated about the boy’s background, considering his familiarity with sorcerers from the academy, the boy must have an extraordinary origin, perhaps a descendant of the academy’s higher-ups.
After more than ten seconds, Carmel asked curiously: “Are you really a potion maker? You know, making Endurance Ginger Water is not easy.”
Ivan casually handed him a small glass bottle: “My Physical Strength Potion, unfortunately, I don’t have the materials to make Endurance Ginger Water.”
“Let me see, upper-class quality, it seems you truly are a potion maker,” Carmel inspected the potion carefully, looking toward Ivan with full appreciation, then whispered: “To tell you the truth, the Potion Group people are always so high and mighty, they probably won’t believe that a potion maker taught by a sorcerer from the Hunting Team is credible, your efforts might be in vain.”
Ivan was silently taken aback, this wasn’t good news.
“How does the academy differentiate between the Potion Group and the Hunting Team?”
“Based on their respective duties, there are the Hunting Team, Policing Team, Patrol Team, Talent Nurturing Team, Potion Group, Enchantment Group, you know about credits, right? Duties and credits are closely related.”
Carmel did not hide anything and pointed out the academy’s divisions, a total of six parts, covering all aspects of the academy, and mentioned credits.
Besides credits, the academy also has something called ‘points,’ which are not as widely used as credits; they can be exchanged with magic stones, and you can buy things from the academy’s sales spot with points, but you can also directly use magic stones.
“Are you also an Insect Control Master?”
“I have some experience, not sure if it counts as a specialty.”
“There aren’t many Insect Control Masters in the academy, actually, I don’t know much about it either.”
Carmel was quite talkative and retained the curiosity of youth; the two of them chatted intermittently as Ivan learned some common knowledge about the academy from him.
Carmel glanced at the others present: “Are there any apprentices with 5th Class talent among you?”
Ivan shook his head: “No.”
While they were introducing themselves earlier, people from the Fluttering Wind Kingdom were also talking, and he listened in; the most talented among them was also a person with 4th Class talent.
With regret, Carmel said: “That’s a shame, having to watch that petty Wayne get his way.”
A thought struck Ivan, so there was someone with 5th Class talent, another child of the heavens like Billerie, no, surpassing Billerie since it was coming from Carmel, that person’s status was likely not low.
“You don’t know about Wayne, do you? He was tested two days ago, an annoying person, he joined the Talent Nurturing Team, you’ll know how unpleasant he is once you meet him.”
Speaking of the 5th Class talented Wayne, Carmel did not hide his disdain, as if discussing something disgusting.
A personal feud?
Seeing his expression, Ivan wondered if Carmel had delayed his test by two days just to avoid that Wayne.
“Look quick, the Shadow Ant servant is coming.”
Carmel signaled him to look to the other side, where element creatures were arriving gracefully, small in stature with antennas on their heads, and their entire bodies black like solidified ink, Ivan guessed they were element beings modeled after Tidal Flats Ant Beings.
The arrival of the Shadow Ant servants meant a mentor had chosen new people, willing to take them as disciples.