Chapter 10

"… The value of this question will depend on your choice. Now, Miss Ophelia, you can test it first."

Ophelia walked forward excitedly and placed her hands on the crystal ball expectantly. Although she was not as fast as Adam, she was faster than Kristel. However, the strange thing was that the crystal balls of everyone else, including Adam, were filled with almost white stuff, but the crystal ball in Ophelia's hand was filled with black and red stuff.

Ophelia did not understand the meaning of the color of the crystal ball. She only wanted to know what her Mage inclination was. But the crystal ball did not respond after it was filled.

Ophelia was a little panicked. She pressed the crystal ball again, but there was still no light. She could not help but turn pale. "Is my talent that bad?"

"That's enough, Miss Ophelia." Mage Black waved his hand gently, and a breeze appeared and bounced Ophelia away. Although the crystal ball was magical, it was only a simple alchemy product. It could not withstand the full force of a Grand Knight.

Ophelia stood there at a loss. She looked at Mage Black with a pleading face. "Respected Mage Black, I think I can try again. It shouldn't be like this …"

Mage Black gestured for her to calm down. Then he said, "Don't panic, Miss Ophelia. As I said, there are many ways to become a Mage. Some Mage inclination will not make the crystal ball glow. But this does not mean that your talent is low."

Then he turned to Earl Johnson and asked, "Earl, do you need my answer? This answer is worth two-fifths of the profit of a small energy vein."

"Of course, Mage Black."

Adam noted down Mage Black's words. Although there was only one sample in front of him, and there might be some errors in his judgment, if it was not for the fact that Mage Black was a particularly upright person, this situation meant that Mages adhered to the principle of fair trade.

If his judgment was correct, it was undoubtedly a good thing. This meant that the mage world had broken away from the primitive law of the jungle and had evolved into a civilized stage.

After the deal was made, Mage Black explained in detail, "Most mages, including me, have souls that lean towards the Element. However, the Element is not the entire path of a mage. Miss Ophelia has a talent that is different from Elemental Magic. Mages call this path a Body Refining Mage."

"Elemental Mages pursue the sublimation of the soul. We engrave knowledge into the soul. The body is the carrier of the soul, and as the soul strengthens, the body evolves passively. Body-Refining Mages, on the other hand, are different. Although they also need knowledge, they apply that knowledge to the development of their bodies and pursue the evolution of their life essence. The strengthening of their bodies will lead to the sublimation of their souls. "

"And Miss Ophelia is very talented in this aspect. Body-Refining Mages have a clear path, and there is no bottleneck in the process of going from the apprentice level to the level of a First-Level Mage. However, everything has its pros and cons. In contrast, Body-Refining Mages require a huge amount of resources …" Mage Black paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something. He clicked his tongue in wonder, "When you reach the higher level, even the resources of the entire plane are not enough for one person to consume."

Adam understood. This was the advanced version of the path of a Knight. However, there was a problem. The body of carbon-based life could not carry so much energy. How did Body-Refining Mages do it?

As a powerhouse who had reached the peak of a Knight, Earl Johnson also understood this problem. However, Mages were Mages because they had mastered the knowledge to do incredible things. Therefore, he did not dwell on this question. Instead, he asked, "Respected Mage Black, what are resources? Energy Veins? "

Mage Black said, "Oh, I'll answer this question for free. Energy Stones are the lowest level of resources available to Mages. Its value is not as high as you think. When a Body-Refining Mage reaches the higher level, what they need is a large amount of body tissues of high-leveled creatures from other planes. Well, this is still too far away for you. "

Mage Black's explanation stopped here. He said to the apprentices, "You have one night to pack your bags and say goodbye to your families. After breakfast tomorrow morning, we will leave for Moldova College."

Earl Johnson motioned for Ophelia to wait for him while he led the Mages away to rest.

The new Mage Apprentices greeted each other as they walked. The three male Mage Apprentices were called Mike Gast, Henry Hugh, and Sam Eden. They were all from noble families. Like Adam, Costrel did not have a surname.

They were all curious about Adam. They had no choice. They had never heard of such a noble descendant in the Northern Lands. Moreover, Mage Black had clearly stated that Adam was the most talented of all of them. Their noble instincts told them to befriend anyone they could. Even if they could not become allies, they did not want to become enemies.

"My name is Adam." Adam's expression was still expressionless, but his etiquette was on point. He did not appear arrogant. The ways of the world and noble etiquette were all part of Adam's routine. He could not deliberately be unique in this aspect. It did not show that he was unique. It only showed that he was stupid.

The few of them waited for Adam to say his surname. They had become Mage Apprentices at the same time, so they had a special relationship. Their families could use this as a reason to cooperate, but …

"Commoner, no surname."

The impeccable smiles on the three male Mage Apprentices' faces stiffened. Commoner? Costrel's participation in the test was already an accident. How could such an accident happen twice? Did Earl Johnson change his profession to charity?

Costrel, on the other hand, had a big smile on her face. Although her identity had suddenly changed, the habit of more than ten years made her instinctively afraid of nobles. Adam's identity as a commoner made her feel a sense of closeness.

It was also because of habit that the three noble descendants still smiled, but the sense of closeness disappeared. Fortunately, they were not stupid and did not express their disdain and contempt in front of his face.

When they reached the fork, Adam stopped and said goodbye. Costrel did not have any reaction. She also said goodbye and left. She wanted to go home and share today's good news with her parents and brother. They wanted to enjoy their last reunion together.

However, the other three were surprised again. A commoner could actually live in the mayor's mansion? Moreover, Adam left in the direction of the mansion. Obviously, it was impossible for servants to live in the mansion.

The three looked at each other and found that the others had the same doubts as them. They decided to go home and ask their father. They did not want to offend people because of a moment of arrogance.

Adam returned to his residence to continue his work of optimizing the spiritual power rune. At the same time, in the main hall of the mayor's mansion, Earl Johnson and Ophelia were having an awkward conversation.

"First of all, congratulations on becoming a Mage Apprentice. I look forward to calling you Mage Ophelia Johnson in my lifetime."

"Johnson." Ophelia laughed at herself and then fell silent. This family always had a strange ability to make her good mood disappear.

Earl Johnson did not care. Rome was not built in a day. There might not be such a phrase in this world, but the principle was the same. He did not expect his daughter to suddenly change her attitude, and in fact, her attitude was not important. What was important was the surname Johnson.

"Two-fifths of the income from the energy lode will be given to Mage Black, and the remaining three fifths will be the family's support for you. The north is barren, and so far only this lode has been found. I will send people to continue searching. "

Ophelia continued to be silent.

"I agreed to let Corestal participate in the test. It was originally just a tentative investment, but I didn't expect to see profits so soon. She is very important, and Mage Black's attitude is definitely not without reason. The family has no connection with the Mage World, but Corestal can receive preferential treatment from the Mage World. It will be of great help to you to be on good terms with her. "

If you ignored Earl Johnson's constant mention of the family, this should be a harmonious conversation between father and daughter. But now, for Ophelia, who instinctively resisted the family, she could not feel the slightest trace of emotion.

"Also, don't invest too much in Adam, no matter what. I can't feel any trace of the same kind from him. Instead, I feel like I'm facing a Mage. He has no feelings, and he will definitely not help you because of feelings. "

Ophelia could not help but say: "I don't …"

Earl Johnson said unceremoniously: "Ask your own heart. It's best if you don't, but if you do, I hope you will listen to me. Whether it's because you are my daughter or because of the family's interests, I will not harm you this time. "

Ophelia lowered her head and fell silent again.

"But this is also good. A transaction based on pure interests is the most simple and solid. If you can give him the resources he needs, he will also do what he should do." Earl Johnson said, hitting the nail on the head.

"Just now, after I made a deal with Mage Black, I did not drive away the rest of the apprentices. My daughter, if you are not an idiot, you should know what I mean by this. Using this opportunity, using your identity to gradually win them over, and even subdue them. No one has ever been able to reach the peak alone. Ordinary people can't, and I believe that Mages can't either. "

The conversation ended, and Earl Johnson stood up. "Finally, congratulations again, and I wish you a smooth journey." After saying that, he did not look at Ophelia again and walked straight out of the main hall.

Ophelia was left alone in a mess. Reason told her that this could not be considered as caring. It was just an exchange of interests between the two of them. But now, she had the blood of the Johnson family in her body, and her emotions made it impossible for her to remain cold.

If it was Adam, he would definitely say that humans were always so stupid. They were so easily affected by their emotions and desires that their will would be easily shaken. But Ophelia was not Adam.

The rest of the night was silent.

The next morning, the five of them gathered outside the mayor's mansion with different feelings. Mage Black did not care about their feelings. Seeing that they were not late, he nodded in satisfaction and said simply: "Then, let's go."