First Battlefield, "Four-Colored Metal" Orian

"You should save your thanks for yourself."

Actually, I don't think you need to thank her. This little bit of stuff is nothing to her; she's a well-known rich woman in the Third Level Wizard circle.

"Porby said to Ronan half-jokingly."

Ronan didn't say anything.

Since Lord Kosti wasn't there, he accepted the items and prepared to leave.

Porby stood up and shouted at him, "Don't go, Damien, stay and keep me company."

"Kosti I'm so bored I'm practically crawling with lice! Oh, and by the way!"

As if suddenly remembering something, Porby quickly said, "Kosti specifically instructed before she left that if she didn't return in time..."

Sometimes, I need to explain things to you on her behalf.

Ronan paused for a moment, then stopped and walked back under Porby's expectant gaze.

"Please sit down. Apart from Kosti and me, hardly anyone comes up here all year round."

Porby cheerfully pulled out a chair and, like a host, warmly invited Ronan to sit down.

Ronan's gaze swept over the long table where Kosti often hunched over her work, and he inadvertently noticed an exquisitely crafted double-handled teacup on the table in front of him. The teacup contained half a cup of brownish-red tea, along with a pretty little gold spoon for stirring.

Someone had clearly just sat here and chatted with Porby for a while.

"Didn't you say almost no one comes up here?"

Ronan looked at Porby, who gave an awkward smile and explained, "It was just a coincidence that we ran into each other."

Clemens came before you."

"Clemens ..."

Ronan's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the name.

The image of a young man with sharp, lapis lazuli-like eyes quickly flashed into his mind.

Although Ronan won the final battle of the trial selection, Clemens' strength was undeniable. In the Seventh Magic Ring, he was the only one Ronan took seriously.

"What is Clemens doing here?"

Ronan stared at the teacup and teaspoon on the table, imagining what Clemens looked like when he sat here not long ago, and asked a question.

"Nothing.."

Porby shrugged and casually replied, "It's just common pre-exploration anxiety before Super Large dungeons. People come to me to chat and ease their anxiety."

"Clemens gets nervous too?"

Ronan blinked, slightly surprised.

In his memory, Clemens, as the number one young wizard of the Seventh Magic Ring before him, always had that calm, confident, and unperturbed demeanor.

He is outstanding enough to be considered a true genius.

It's hard to imagine that he would also seek someone to relieve his tension and anxiety, just like a student facing a major exam.

"You never know what a seemingly dignified lady might be hiding beneath her elegant dress..."

Ronan glanced at Porby.

The latter curled his lip, put away his strange analogy, and said, "Clemens is excellent, but only in the Arcane Circle. There are many people who are more excellent than him, not to Arcane Circle."

During your absence from the Arcane Circle, a small internal exchange competition was held within the Seventh Ring Road.

Clemens attended.

I still remember his proud, sword-like demeanor when he left, but unfortunately, when he came back... tsk tsk.

"That poor little guy, "Porby sighed. "He couldn't even crack the top ten."

"Clemens' strength isn't even in the top ten in the entire Arcane Circle?!"

Ronan was somewhat shocked.

Damn, just how weak is the Seventh Magic Ring?

Oh no, I mean, just how strong are the geniuses of the other six Arcane Circle? Late stage level two, plus a grasp of One Segment Magic Domain Resonance, and they can't even crack the top ten?!

"Based on his abilities, I thought he should be ranked between sixth and eighth."

Porby his hands, stroking his smooth, beardless chin, and said, "But he was really unlucky. First, he was defeated by you, which dampened his confidence. Then, during the exchange competition, he was unlucky enough to run into the current recognized number one genius of the Arcane Circle, a seventh-ring level genius, and was eliminated in the first round of the competition."

"A seventh-ring level genius?"

Ronan's eyes flashed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who is it?"

Porby was about to answer, a calm voice came from behind Ronan first.

"Orian."

Ronan turned around and saw a young man, half a head shorter than him, with a slender build and sharp, lapis lazuli-like eyes, standing at the entrance to the spiral staircase of the tower, looking at him calmly.

"The current soul age of the Arcane Circle is under one hundred years old. He is the first and only wizarding genius to advance to the third level."

Ronan listened to the young man's calm narration, took a light breath, and slowly exhaled, "Clay... Mance."

The young man before him was none other than Clemens, whom he and Porby were discussing.

Talking about others behind their backs, especially about their failures, and being caught red-handed by the person who brought the topic up, made Ronan feel somewhat embarrassed.

Porby, however, paid no attention to Clemens and greeted him with surprise and delight, "Hey Clemens, long time no see, what brings you back?"

"Porby, we just met forty-five minutes ago and even had tea together."

Clemens walked into the semi-open room, his gaze falling on Ronan, and said calmly, "On my way back to the Meditation Tower, a soul trapped in Brass Door Lock sold me the news of someone's return for twenty High-Level Magic Stone."

Ronan frowned, thinking that he would immediately replace that big-mouthed "smart lock" when he got back.

"Don't be angry. Even if Serui doesn't tell me, Porby will inform me immediately."

I specifically told him about this, and I've been wanting to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with you about it."

Clemens spoke to Ronan with a natural expression, completely lacking the aggressive demeanor he displayed during Ronan previous battle.

Ronan's attitude towards him was actually quite good. After all, that battle was just a friendly spar, without any personal grudges involved, and in the end, both of them got what they wanted.

In other words.

He and Clemens could be friends.

"You don't look as depressed as Porby described..."

Ronan stepped aside slightly to let Clemens walk to the table next to him.

Clemens shook his head with a somewhat helpless expression and said, "Orian is the first ring master's chosen successor. He has long mastered the wonderful connection between metals and elements. He is a genius who has truly comprehended the true meaning of the Silver Arcane Ring Inheritance and has the title of 'Four-Colored Metal'."

Even if I were at the same level as him, I still wouldn't be his match. Losing to someone like him is frustrating, but not as much as you might imagine.

Ronan carefully considered Clemens's words, which seemed to touch upon something he hadn't yet had the chance to learn about.

Just then, Clemens spoke up, "Do you know why the Arcane Circle is holding this internal exchange competition?"

Ronan shook his head.

"In order to further select suitable candidates qualified to go to the First Battlefield."

Clemens looked at Ronan, "Lord Kosti sent you elsewhere, deliberately making you miss this competition. It seems she never intended for you to go to the First Battlefield."

Too"

Clemens, then said with a touch of emotion, "You possess a powerful ancient bloodline, and your talent far surpasses mine. Given time, you could probably grow to a level comparable to Orian."

What you lack now is not opportunities to hone your skills, but rather time. There's no need to be on the First Battlefield; doing so would actually be detrimental to you.

"What is the First Battlefield? Is it related to the Mirror Garden?"

Ronan frowned and asked.

He learned from Clemens that Kosti's purpose in sending him to White Stone Fortress was not so much to seek a "Talent Transplant," but rather to get him away, seemingly as another form of protection.

She had repeatedly emphasized that she wouldn't let herself become a "flower in a greenhouse." What a hypocrite!

"It's related to the Mirror Garden."

Clemens nodded and said, "The First Battlefield is what we privately call the innermost core area of Mirror Garden."

Thunder Council, Crimson Tower, Black Nightmare Swamp, Thorn Palace, Molten Crystal Lake, and our Silver Magic Ring.

The six major wizarding forces in the south joined forces to activate the runic restrictions in the core area of Ancient Mirror Garden secret realm. However, after preliminary exploration, this core area was roughly divided into three layers.

To ensure a reasonable allocation of manpower, these three areas will be explored by young wizards of different levels and strengths, namely the First Battlefield, the Second Battlefield, and the Third Battlefield.

The First Battlefield is the most dangerous and difficult to explore, so those qualified to enter are the strongest and most outstanding geniuses of the six major wizarding forces.

I originally wanted to try and get into the First Battlefield, but unfortunately I ran into Orian in the first round of the competition, so I guess I can only go to the Second Battlefield.

The Lord of the Kosti Ring has likely assigned you to the Second Battlefield. While the Third Battlefield is less dangerous, it offers virtually no training value for you.

As a veteran Arcane Circle prodigy, Clemens spent much longer in the Silver Magic Ring of France than Ronan, and his knowledge and experience far exceeded Ronan's.

The two decided to sit down at the long table, Porby brought them tea and snacks with a smile, seemingly very pleased to see the harmonious scene of their warm conversation.

Two days later.

A magnificent and strange energy fluctuation slowly emanated from the metal ring above the Silver Magic Ring, spreading throughout the entire Arcane Circle.

The young wizards, inspired by the call, emerged from beneath the seven Silver White High Tower, like scattered sparks, and gathered at the base of the metal ring.

As energy fluctuations emanated, three enormous Magic Airship gradually emerged from the center of the metal ring, resembling three giant silver metal Silver Fish, their bodies radiating a bright blue light, silently hovering high in the sky.

At the top of the Silver White High Tower in the Seventh Magic Ring, two figures rode the gentle breeze and flew out side by side.

One of the figures was probably in his early twenties, with a thin face and average looks, but his lapis lazuli-like eyes were quite dazzling, adding a lot of charm to him.

The other person was much younger than him, and more outstanding in appearance, with a slender and well-proportioned figure, white hair and blue eyes, and a mysterious and elegant temperament like a wizarding nobleman.

Clemens and Ronan emerged together after receiving the signal that the Mirror Garden was about to open.

"... You should have memorized all the information I gave you, right?"

As Clemens led Ronan toward the three giant Magic Airship, he instructed him, "Those are all rare and precious artifacts unearthed from the Mirror Garden's Secret Realm Space. Knowing them well will help you determine which items are valuable and worth fighting for during the exploration."

Ronan nodded.

He and Clemens spent two days chatting in Kosti's study, and they could already be considered friends.

Clemens was a good person; he not only taught him a lot of knowledge but also specially compiled a "Treasure List" of the Mirror Garden for him.

While it's impossible to include all the information about everything we'll encounter in our next exploration, it does summarize a significant portion.

Exploring with a purpose is far more efficient than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly.

The two gradually approached and stopped beneath the massive metal ring that serves as a landmark of the Arcane Circle.

Like them, a large number of fellow wizards from the Seventh Ring Tower were also inspired, almost all of whom were at least at the late stage of level one, and there were quite a few wizards at level two or above.

Ronan roughly counted around and found that there were about three hundred people in total.

"Many people"

Ronan spoke softly, but Clemens shook his head upon hearing his sigh, "A lot? Once you meet the people from the other five major powers, you'll know what 'a lot' truly means."

In this exploration, the number of slots allocated to our Arcane Circle was relatively small, especially for the first Second Battlefield. Compared to the other wizarding factions, the Arcane Circle is still somewhat lacking in overall strength and foundation, and we estimate that we can only rank fourth or fifth among the six major factions...

Ronan didn't speak, his gaze drawn to a crowd in one direction.

It was a small group of wizards, totaling about ten people.

Each of them possessed strength at the late stage of level two or above, and each exuded a powerful aura. Their appearance and temperament were exceptionally outstanding, in no way inferior to Clemens standing beside him.

When so many young and outstanding wizards gathered together, the aura they naturally possessed suddenly became even more eye-catching, attracting the attention of almost all the wizards who came, and directly becoming the center and focus of this crowd.

Directly in front of these dozen or so true "Heaven's Chosen" stood a tall, dazzling young man.

The brilliance he exuded alone overshadowed all the halos of the dozen or so second-level "prodigies" behind him.

He was handsome, with short, golden hair that shimmered in the sunlight like flowing gold threads, and silvery eyes that were like deep, tranquil lakes, radiating a mysterious light at all times.

He exuded an unparalleled and immense spiritual energy fluctuation belonging to Third Level Formal Wizard, which was the combined might of four dazzling "suns".

Ronan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the figure of the young Third Level Wizard, appreciating his demeanor.

Then he heard Clemens whisper in his ear, "See that? That's Orian. They say his soul age isn't even fifty yet."