Nothing Special

The dispute here had come to an end, and Jeral and Heloline both stepped onto the deck of the Bauhinia.

With powerful reinforcements arriving, Sabo looked far more relaxed.

Jeral was still wearing an extremely displeased expression. He clenched the metal short staff in his hand, and where its tip pointed—the sturdy deck—was blasted open with a huge hole. Smoke, dust, and wood splinters billowed into the sky.

Jeral's action gave all the Wizard Apprentices a fright. Seeing this, Isley staggered backward again and again, only stopping when he reached the mast.

Isley's calves began to tremble violently. He had nearly forgotten that the person before him was not some wastrel from the Silver Heron Dynasty, but a lofty wizard!

Isley's fear kept mounting, and he desperately wanted to kneel before Jeral and beg for mercy. Yet under the pressure of Jeral's might, he could not even summon the courage to kneel and plead.

Fortunately, Jeral did not seem to intend to hurt anyone. He merely gave Isley a cold warning glance before withdrawing his oppressive presence.

By then, Sabo knew that Jeral's "lesson" had ended. He walked over with a smile, casually cast a level 0 cantrip, Cleansing Spell, and cleared away the shattered debris and dust on the deck.

Sabo did not bring up what had just happened. He merely asked curiously, "Why are only the two of you here? Where are the people from Gravity Forest?"

Jeral had only just finished venting his anger, and his expression remained cold and stern. He said nothing, so Heloline, surrounded by misty water vapor, answered Sabo's question.

"Gravity Forest sent 'Treant' Poku. But halfway here, he was drawn to some magical plants on an island. He is probably still trying to transplant them now!"

Though he was called a "Treant," everyone knew that Poku was actually still human, not a Treant Race member—a sapient humanoid lifeform from another plane.

The reason Poku had earned the nickname "Treant" was that he followed the path of a bloodline wizard. Yet instead of transplanting beast bloodlines, he transplanted plant life into his body. Poku had never revealed what plant he had implanted, but in battle he could assume an enormous true form like that of the Treant Race. Over time, he came to be known as the "Treant."

Kormoen, standing behind Sabo, quietly sighed in relief when he heard that someone from his own organization had also come.

"So it is 'Treant' Poku. I have heard that his skill in carving magical patterns is exceptionally outstanding. Even in Sky Mechanical City, the wands he makes would count as fine pieces," Sabo said with a nod.

Heloline merely smiled without speaking.

After a round of pleasantries, Jeral and Heloline each walked over to the guide from their own organization.

Heloline walked before Florent and withdrew the thin curtain of water surrounding her, revealing her true appearance. She was a young woman with a graceful figure and cold, beautiful features. Her waterfall-like hair and starry eyes were both azure blue. Combined with her long gradient dress of the same color, Heloline looked as though she belonged to a race of the sea.

Heloline glanced at Moro behind Florent, her pale-blue brows lifting slightly. "I remember your name, Moro. Meng En, correct? Twenty years ago, you studied fire magic under my mentor."

Overwhelmed by the favor, Moro bowed deeply and nodded repeatedly. "Lady Heloline, I never expected someone as occupied with countless affairs as you to still remember an old failure like me. It is my honor."

Heloline examined Moro's cultivation—level 3 Wizard Apprentice—and nodded, offering a slight sign of approval.

That single nod was enough to make Moro's joy impossible to suppress. Did this mean he had left an impression in the heart of a Formal Wizard?

Do not underestimate such a seemingly insignificant impression. Many times, a Formal Wizard's slightest impression was enough to change a Wizard Apprentice's fate! Moro had heard a story about a lucky youngster who left a tiny impression on a wizard. After that wizard completed a great experiment, he tossed some scraps to the lucky fellow. Those scraps alone saved him decades of effort, allowing him to advance to a level 3 Wizard Apprentice before the age of thirty. Afterward, he surged ahead like bamboo splitting beneath a blade and became a lofty wizard himself.

Thinking of that tale, which had inspired generation after generation of Wizard Apprentices, how could Moro's heart not burn hot?

Heloline paid little attention to Moro's thoughts. Instead, she turned to Florent and asked, "Did you find any good seedlings this time?"

Florent bowed respectfully before roughly explaining the circumstances of the gifted individuals White Coral Floating Island Academy had taken in aboard this ship.

"Were there any with special constitutions or special talents?" Heloline asked.

She had not accepted a true apprentice for several decades. The reason was simply that there were too few students with outstanding talent. This time, she had decided to take in an apprentice. If she encountered a student with excellent talent, she naturally wanted to secure them first. Thus, the moment she arrived, before she even had time to learn about the Barbie Restaurant, she began asking about this batch of recruits.

Florent recalled the gifted individuals he had recruited. None had special constitutions, so he replied, "This time, I recruited seven gifted individuals from Revelation Continent, Demon-Eaved Corridor, and Spirit Island. None had special constitutions. As for special talents... there seemed to be one. During the talent sphere test, a gifted individual from Spirit Island said he saw a sky full of twinkling stars, though it was a winter night without stars."

"Seeing a sky full of stars on a starless night?" Heloline pondered for a moment, then said with some hesitation, "I seem to recall a similar case being mentioned in issue 467 of the Abyras Talent Compendium Yearbook."

"It recorded a descendant of a wizard Lineage who, while testing his talent with the Eye of Abyras, saw every star in the night sky moving along a trajectory. The countless stars in the sky became innumerable star trails. I remember the book mentioning that this gifted individual was also tested on a starless night."

"After detailed testing, that gifted individual was indeed confirmed to possess a special talent. His developmental direction was proven to be the astrology branch of the mysterious side, and later he specialized in astrological divination." As she spoke, Heloline shook her head regretfully. "Unfortunately, he never became a wizard. He died beneath the washing currents of the river of time, wasting such fine talent."

The others were deeply moved as well. No matter how good one's talent was, it could not withstand the slaughter of passing years. Without becoming a wizard, one would eventually return to dust.

"If the gifted individual you mentioned truly possesses astrological talent, that would be quite good." Heloline sighed. "Unfortunately, I do not understand the mysterious side in the slightest."

If she truly accepted such a person as her student, it would be somewhat wasteful. Of course, it was not impossible, but after spending a great deal of time teaching them, their chances of becoming a Formal Wizard would still not be high. It would waste both time and emotion. Heloline had no desire to do such a thankless, exhausting thing.

Heloline secretly shook her head and asked again, "Other than this person, are there any other gifted individuals with special talents?"

Florent shook his head. "Aside from these seven, there are three others recruited by Moro. I do not know their circumstances."

Heloline looked toward Moro. Moro immediately brushed his sleeve and stepped forward, saying solemnly, "This time, I recruited three gifted individuals on Edge Island. Two are my grandson and granddaughter. Their talents are acceptable, but there is nothing special about them. As for the other one's talent..." When speaking of Angel, Moro recalled that the light flickering from the talent sphere during the test had been very striking. However, he remembered Angel saying that the change he saw during the test was 'floating.'

If it was only 'floating,' then the talent could only be considered ordinary.

"The other one's talent has nothing special about it either," Moro said with great certainty.

After listening to the two of them, Heloline's expression showed some disappointment. She inwardly lamented that those with truly outstanding talent were simply too few.

Thinking this, Heloline glanced at Isley in the distance. If that boy had not already learned Hurricane Tower's Guidance Method, she might even have considered snatching him away. With mental strength so exceptional, no matter which branch he specialized in, he had the potential to become a wizard.

What a pity. Such a fine seedling had already entered Hurricane Tower. Though Jeral had displayed his authority and shouted at Isley just now, he had not truly injured him. One had to know that, given Jeral's usual violent temper, his opponent would have been dead or severely injured. This time, Jeral had shown mercy only because Isley's talent was indeed quite good and he had the potential to advance into a wizard. Otherwise, it would not have been a case of raising the hammer high and setting it down lightly.

"Once matters here are settled, bring all the students recruited this time to see me," Heloline said. The Eye of Abyras test could only count as a preliminary assessment, and mistakes could happen. Since they were already at sea, once she had dealt with the matter at hand, she would still have some spare time. She decided to inspect them personally.

How could Moro and Florent fail to understand Heloline's intentions upon hearing this? They could not help secretly envying the good fortune of this batch of gifted individuals.

Heloline had always enjoyed an excellent reputation within the academy. Her attitude toward Wizard Apprentices was unlike that of other Formal Wizards, who held themselves high above all else. In the Wizarding World, she was an unexpectedly clear stream.

This time, Heloline was even willing to personally lower herself and test this batch of students for their true talents. It was simply an immense honor!

A moment ago, Moro had been delighted to leave an impression before Heloline. Yet now, he deeply envied the "recruits" who had caught Heloline's attention—even though his own two grandchildren were among them.