Assessment

When Little Arro first saw his grandfather, he thought he was a very stern man. But when his grandfather came trotting over with a beaming smile, lifted him up affectionately, and held him close, he immediately overturned the stereotype he had formed from judging by appearances.

Little Arro obediently greeted him, "Good day, Grandfather."

His grandfather's face lit up with delight as he hurriedly nodded. "Good day, good day, Little Arro."

"Father, Little Arro will be in your care from now on." David bowed respectfully, then instructed Little Arro, "I have urgent matters to handle and will be leaving shortly. From now on, you must study diligently here."

David had already explained these matters to Little Arro the day before, so Little Arro obediently nodded.

"Father, then I won't disturb you any longer..."

"No rush!"

His grandfather turned to David, his expression blank as he said lightly, "Never mind whether you're disturbing me. Go train with the Achilles Knights. Today, ten knights will train with you at once. Once you're done, you may leave."

David's expression immediately fell, as though he had swallowed a bitter melon whole. But he noticed that the hand his father used to hold Little Arro was secretly casting healing magic at Little Arro's waist, and he lowered his head.

"Understood. I'll go now."

Pahz paid no attention to his son's departure, merely saying kindly to Little Arro, "I've long heard from your father what a genius you are. Come, then. I'll be testing you properly."

A test?

To determine whether my knowledge was sufficient to study wizard knowledge?

David had given him a detailed explanation of the prerequisites for studying wizard knowledge.

As for physical requirements alone, he did not dare guarantee that he was absolutely qualified. After all, he was only a little over three years old. Even though he exercised often and grew quickly, he definitely did not look five.

Fortunately, wizard knowledge did not demand much physical strength. Its main requirement was the strength of one's soul—in other words, the accumulation of knowledge.

As for accumulated knowledge, Little Arro felt he ought to restrain himself a little. He should not frighten his grandfather.

"Alright, Grandfather."

In the living room, Grandfather first took out a book, pointed at a passage at random, and had Little Arro read it.

For Little Arro, this was practically a free point.

Back when he was at home, whenever he was bored, aside from his daily training and studies, his only way to pass the time had been reading. He had gone through the hundreds of books in Small Castle's study at least four or five times.

Starting from the spot his grandfather pointed to, Little Arro kept reading.

Little Arro's clear voice rang continuously through the living room as he read.

"Alright, you can stop now."

Pahz nodded in satisfaction and asked pleasantly, "Not bad. You recognize every word?"

Little Arro set down the book, raised his head, and answered honestly, "I wouldn't dare say I recognize them all. I only know most commonly used words."

This script was something between a phonetic script and pictographic writing. It was difficult for anyone to claim they recognized every word.

"Do you recognize this word?" As Pahz spoke, he picked up a Goose Feather pen and wrote out a distinctive word.

Little Arro leaned over and examined it carefully. He could not help but frown slightly and fell silent.

"You don't recognize it?"

He examined it again, continuously comparing it to different words in his mind. Little Arro hesitated before shaking his head. "I can't make it out."

Noticing Little Arro's hesitation, his grandfather smiled encouragingly. "Do you have any thoughts? Tell me."

Little Arro glanced at his grandfather and voiced his guess hesitantly. "I noticed that the first half of this word is a little like 'moon.' Judging by how it is arranged, it should be some kind of 'flower or grass.'"

No writing system was created Without Cause. If one studied it for long enough, one could usually find certain patterns within it.

Even English, the most representative phonetic language from Arro's previous life, had words that could be linked to other words, let alone the language of his previous life.

"Good!"

His grandfather shouted in praise, his face full of delight as he explained, "This word means grass beneath the moon. It is pronounced 'Moon Grass.' Little Arro, you have already grasped the essence of the Fien Language!"

"Moon Grass?" Little Arro repeated softly. The pronunciation of the word was rather strange. When he said it, he felt as if his tongue was about to knot itself.

"That's Right, Moon Grass. Later, I'll give Miss Gemma a list and have her teach you the wizard-specific words of the Fien Language first."

Pahz turned and thanked the Black Cat again. "Miss Gemma, your teaching ability is quite good. Little Arro has been taught very well. I'll continue to trouble you from now on."

The Black Cat lying on the table proudly raised her head. "Don't worry. I did promise Nicole, after all."

This had originally been David and Nicole's intention. They had worried that Little Arro might be frightened when he went alone to his unfamiliar Grandfather's House, so they had specifically sent Gemma to accompany him.

Wasn't he supposed to be taught how to become a wizard now?

Why was he still learning to read?!

Little Arro could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

The Black Cat noticed Little Arro's expression and turned back to warn him, "Do not underestimate the danger of this knowledge. 'Ignorance is Bliss.' The more you know, the greater the danger you will face when you encounter monsters."

"That is why I never mentioned these matters to you before, nor did I teach you any writing related to wizard knowledge."

Ignorance is Bliss?

This was the first time Little Arro had heard such a saying. However, that was not his greatest question. "Shouldn't I first learn some kind of wizard cultivation method that can grant power, like the Knight's Breathing Technique?"

There were many words and phrases Little Arro did not know how to describe, so he could only piece several words together. Fortunately, that was enough to convey what he meant.

Pahz gently explained, "Little Arro, perhaps your father did not explain it clearly. At only three years old, you cannot cultivate any Meditation Technique. You must at least wait until you are ten, when your body has basically finished its first development but your second development has not yet begun. That is the best time to learn."

"Moreover, before learning, your physical aptitude must be tested to determine your affinity toward energy, so that a suitable Meditation Technique can be chosen."

"However, when one's energy affinity is first examined, it is like smelling the most exquisite bait to all Eerie Worlds. That is when abnormalities are most likely to occur, and a Formal Wizard must be present to protect you."

"The Garner Family has no Formal Wizard, so we cannot even conduct an aptitude examination for you. The very first step of your wizard cultivation cannot be done."

"Furthermore, when beginning wizard studies, many eerie entities will also be lured in. That requires a specialized Magic Pattern Array for protection."

"We do not know what your talent is. Unless your talent happens to be the same as ours, in which case we can teach you a little, there is nothing we can do."

"Unless it is an exceptionally powerful Wizard Family, studying at a wizard academy is the best choice. Otherwise, it is too easy to encounter all manner of eerie dangers."

"You need not worry too much. I belong to Jungle Home, after all. When you turn ten, a Formal Wizard from Jungle Home will naturally come to collect you, choose a wizard academy for you, and begin your formal studies."

After hearing his grandfather's explanation, Little Arro finally understood why his father had said that he himself had only attended Wendell Wizard Academy.

"But... what if my aptitude is too poor?"

His grandfather laughed and patted Arro's little head reassuringly. "An aptitude examination tests two aspects. One is one's Energy Affinity Level, and the other is the strength of one's Mental Strength."

"We naturally have few ways to influence Energy Affinity Level. But even the worst Energy Affinity Level does not make wizard cultivation impossible. As long as one's Mental Strength is outstanding enough, wizard academies will still accept them."

"And we do have methods when it comes to Mental Strength."

"When you are six, I will teach you some methods to train Mental Strength. And since you are already so clever at three, your Mental Strength certainly cannot be poor. You need not worry at all."

Thanks to Obsessed with Chemistry for the recommendation vote!

Thanks to Thousand Autumn Star Sea for another recommendation vote!