Training Mages

Roland was quite satisfied by what he saw. After all, he had high hopes for these half-grown children.

If he could turn these twelve children into mages, it would undoubtedly greatly strengthen the power of Roland's territory.

"Greetings, Master." The twelve children immediately bowed in unison when they saw Roland.

"Mm, rise. How have you been doing over the past month or so?" Roland asked with a kind expression.

"Reporting to Master, we have eaten our fill and been warmly clothed this past month. We all know this is entirely thanks to your generosity, Master, so we are deeply grateful to you." Ryan, the oldest among the twelve children, replied loudly with an excited expression.

Although Ryan's words were somewhat childish, they won the agreement of the other children. A trace of gratitude appeared in their eyes as they looked at Roland. Their life over the past month seemed to have made them believe the promise Roland had previously made to them.

Seeing this, Roland became even more satisfied.

He certainly could not treat these children the same way he treated his other slaves.

After all, under Roland's cultivation, they would all become mages in the future.

And a mage, even one born a slave, was qualified to receive the respect and status that matched his strength.

Therefore, in Roland's plans, the main means of ruling them in the future would be through benefits, supplemented by emotional bonds.

Roland then slowly rose to his feet and walked before the twelve children, his expression becoming extremely serious.

"Alice should have told you during this time that all of you possess the talent to become mages. However, your talent is also the lowest grade."

The twelve children could not help but grow nervous upon hearing this.

Roland ignored their reactions and continued, "Therefore, your path as mages will be exceedingly difficult. You may even have to put in far more effort than others. But once you become mages, your fates will be completely changed."

"Are you therefore willing to devote all your sweat and effort to becoming mages?"

After seeing Roland's grave expression, the twelve children first looked at one another. Then they all turned their eyes back to Roland. The longing in their eyes had not faded; instead, they nodded firmly.

"Master, we are willing."

"Very good. But the prerequisite for all of this is your absolute loyalty to me. Are you still willing?"

This time, the twelve children did not hesitate at all. During their previous lives as slaves, the only education they had received was to remain loyal to their master.

"We will devote our loyalty to you, my Master."

Roland did not say anything more after hearing that.

He knew very well that loyalty could not be maintained through hollow promises. Only by continuing to grow stronger could he ensure that his subordinates' loyalty would never fade and that they would willingly follow him.

Thus, all he wanted at this moment was the attitude of these twelve children. If they betrayed Roland in the future, he would certainly use thunderous measures to teach them the weight of the promise they had made today.

Then, beneath the astonished gazes of the twelve children, Roland took a crystal-clear orb from a cabinet nearby.

The Elemental Talent Detection Orb was a tier-three magical item, the same grade as the magic staff Roland had used before. Its main purpose was to test a person's elemental affinity.

Every human on Saint Nor Continent possessed more or less elemental energy within their bodies, and the amount of each element could clearly reveal which element a person had an affinity with.

For example, Roland had chosen to become a fire mage because the Elemental Talent Detection Orb had previously revealed that he possessed a high affinity for fire elements. Practicing the Fire Element Meditation Method allowed him to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

However, having a high affinity for fire did not mean Roland could not become a mage of another element. It was simply that cultivating another element would be much slower for him than cultivating fire.

As for these twelve children, their mage talent was already of the lowest grade. Roland naturally needed to test their elemental affinities. Otherwise, if they chose to cultivate an element with low affinity when selecting Meditation Methods, even taking potions would not prevent their strength from growing at an incredibly slow pace.

"Ryan, place your hand on the crystal orb." Roland gave his first order to Ryan, the oldest of them.

"Yes, Master." Although Ryan was somewhat afraid of this unknown thing, he obediently placed his hand on the crystal orb.

Roland nodded slightly, and his impression of Ryan deepened considerably.

After Roland quietly injected a trace of Mana into the crystal orb, no unusual phenomenon occurred at first. Only a few seconds later did the orb gradually turn a deep azure blue.

"Water element. Not bad." Roland could not help praising him as he looked at the color emerging from the crystal orb.

After all, this was the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, where water elements were clearly more abundant than other elements. Water mages naturally held a greater advantage here, whether in cultivation or meditation.

Hearing Roland's praise, Ryan could not help revealing a delighted expression.

"Next."

Seeing that Ryan had not encountered any danger, the other children became very eager. They crowded around Roland and placed their hands on the crystal orb one after another.

Compared to testing mage talent, testing elemental talent was undoubtedly much simpler. In only a short while, all twelve children had their results.

Among the twelve children, aside from Ryan, three had water-element affinity, two had fire-element affinity, four had earth-element affinity, and two had wood-element affinity.

They were all the most common elemental types. No rare elements such as lightning, darkness, light, or wind appeared.

However, Roland showed no disappointment at this result. Even if a rare elemental type had been detected, he did not possess a corresponding Meditation Method.

In fact, Roland currently only possessed Meditation Methods for the four most common elements.

Wood Element Meditation Method.

Water Element Meditation Method.

Fire Element Meditation Method.

Earth Element Meditation Method.

And they were all beginner-level.

These four Meditation Methods were also the foundational cultivation methods of the Noble Mage Academy. As long as a student successfully enrolled, the Noble Mage Academy would provide all four Meditation Methods.

As a result, these four Meditation Methods were far from precious and had even become commonplace. After all, virtually every student who graduated from the Noble Mage Academy possessed a set, and the academy did not care whether they leaked them.

By now, these four Meditation Methods had spread throughout the elite class of the Terra Kingdom, and even some commoners could obtain them through certain channels.

After understanding the full story through the memories of the previous owner of this body, Roland guessed that this was most likely the work of the Terra Kingdom's royal family. By spreading the Beginner Meditation Methods and allowing more people to learn of them, they sought to increase the number of mages in the Terra Kingdom.

It had to be said that the current strength of the Terra Kingdom's central Mage Regiment might have a great deal to do with this measure.

However, it also made things easier for Roland, as he did not need to rack his brains over Meditation Methods.

After determining the elemental talents of the twelve children, Roland said to them, "Your elemental talents have now been determined. Whether you can change your destinies from here on depends on yourselves."

"Master, we will certainly give it everything we have. Even if it costs us our lives, we will die on the path to becoming mages." Ryan, who stood at the front, made this solemn vow.

Compared with Roland, they were actually the ones who most desperately wished to become noble mages. Not only would it free them from their identities as slaves, but it would also grant them a life they had never even dared to dream of before.

"I have seen your determination. I have done all that I can. The rest is up to you." Roland smiled.

"Master, we will absolutely not disappoint you."

"Mm. From now on, ask Alice for guidance more often. She was once an exceptionally outstanding mage."

"Yes, Master."

"You may leave now." Roland said nothing further and lightly waved his hand.

"Yes, Master." Ryan and the other eleven children immediately bowed, then slowly withdrew from the room.

Once they left, only Roland and Alice remained in the room.

As Roland looked at Alice standing quietly beside him, his eyes gradually became heated, and the atmosphere in the room turned ambiguous.

"Young Master, it... it is still daytime." Alice immediately sensed something. When she saw Roland's wolfish gaze, a blush instantly spread across her fair face, making her look exceptionally alluring.

It would have been better if Alice had said nothing. Her words completely stirred the flames of desire in Roland's heart.

As the lord of Rising Light Island, why would he care whether it was day or night? Roland pulled Alice into his arms, and his right hand skillfully moved to her straight, slender legs.

Feeling the soft, smooth sensation beneath his fingertips, Roland could no longer restrain himself. In just a few swift motions, he stripped Alice in his arms down like a little white rabbit and began indulging himself to his heart's content.

After their passion subsided, Roland, his face full of fatigue, gently stroked Alice's smooth, tender skin. Yet his eyes were filled with melancholy.

After the battle ended, he had suddenly made a startling discovery: with his current physical strength, he was gradually becoming unable to overpower Alice.

As an elf, Alice's natural physical gifts far surpassed those of humans. Although she had once been a mage and had not trained her body much, her strength and constitution attributes were still above two points, far beyond Roland's.

Thus, during the latter half of their battle, Roland had discovered that he was the one lying on the bed. He could take the initiative in that position, but he absolutely could not be passive. It concerned his dignity as a man, and that was ten thousand times more serious than being insulted.

Seemingly sensing Roland's unhappiness, Alice, lying in his arms, cautiously said, "Young Master, you seem a little unhappy."

"No, I am very happy." Roland frowned tightly as he silently considered a solution.

Roland's stubborn denial made Alice's expression dim slightly. However, she seemed to suddenly think of something, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face. Her tender tongue lightly licked her moist lips before she slowly slipped beneath the covers.

Roland, lost in deep thought at the time, noticed none of it.

But in the next moment, he suddenly felt a softness envelop his most intimate place. The nimble tongue was somewhat inexperienced and could not quite find the right spot, but an exquisite sensation instantly flooded Roland's mind nonetheless, drawing a low, satisfied groan from deep within his throat.

"Ah."

Being passive was fine too. It did not seem so hard to accept.