Zhao Xu had no idea what Antinoa's face beneath her hood looked like.
But her next actions made Zhao Xu understand that she was probably quite pleased.
"Very good. You made this choice. But I also hope you won't regret it in the future."
"Compared to those wizards conducting research comfortably in the Floating City, you, as a battle wizard, may face all kinds of near-death situations."
Hearing Antinoa's words, Zhao Xu smiled indifferently.
During those days when he pursued revenge, when had he not lived with a blade at his throat, tempering himself?
"If I weren't certain that you people can't drastically alter your appearance and age, I'd have thought you were a middle-aged man."
The bitterness in Zhao Xu's smile deepened.
"Fine, then. Read this book next. First, convert your language. You should still have language slots available."
A thick book flew directly from the shelf into Zhao Xu's hands.
He knew that this was Antinoa's zero-level Arcane Hand.
The only strange thing was that Antinoa had not made any casting gestures at all.
It was as if her words became law, and the book had flown over on its own.
Zhao Xu weighed the book in his hand and gently stroked the title on its cover: "Dragon Language Codex."
Somewhat confused, he looked up at his mentor.
"I'm learning a language now? I don't need to keep reading those books on magical principles?"
Antinoa sat casually in a soft chair in the room. This was also the first time she had sat down in the past three days.
"Originally, you would automatically recognize some things in the future. I only had you read them at the beginning to temper your character."
Zhao Xu had not expected Antinoa to mean that, and he looked at her curiously.
"Magic, what a mysterious power. If you rush straight toward spellcasting without revering magic, then you are merely a craftsman who uses spells. What difference is there between you and the artillery mounted on city walls?"
"Even worse, if you lack that sense of reverence when conducting research, it will only bring disaster."
When Antinoa said this, her tone carried a hint of loneliness.
"Actually, when you returned to your dormitory on the second day, through the methods of you Earth adventurers, you should have noticed that your wizard training differed somewhat from that of the other players."
"Basically, we evaluate every wizard. Some people will undergo the same experience as you, beginning with these ancient texts. You are the seedlings who have been chosen."
"The difference is that those who voluntarily study the texts make that choice themselves. You were forced by me. The benefit is that you will definitely follow the proper path and receive genuine instruction. The drawback is that I decide when this stage ends."
Zhao Xu had not expected Antinoa to reveal such a bombshell in just a few sentences.
No wonder it had been so difficult for wizards in his Previous Life to learn advanced techniques and powerful Feats.
So there was an additional hurdle. Those who first studied principles and concepts would naturally be properly arranged by the association.
But those who first touched spell models to learn how to cast spells would have to slowly endure afterward.
Once they proved their character, it would be time for them to encounter the vibrant diversity of wizard society.
Yet no one had ever mentioned this on the forums in his Previous Life.
At most, some high-level wizards among the players had advised newcomers to read more of the magical texts inside.
But Zhao Xu still found it somewhat hard to understand.
"Isn't this method of selection too arbitrary?"
"I just praised you for being mature. There are so many organizations and factions in this society. The Mage Association can only arrange those initial Feats and possible advancements for you players. Once you reach Level 5, everyone relies on their own opportunities. Those who were truly overlooked will climb out through their own strength."
Zhao Xu could not help taking a deep breath. The difficulty wizards faced early on in his Previous Life was probably partly the fault of these associations.
For someone like him, he had one Human Talent Feat, two flaw Feats, and one Level 1 Character Feat. That was already four Feats to start with.
Four powerful Feats and four useless Feats were worlds apart.
Zhao Xu could only say that because he had transmigrated, he had always held an instinctive reverence for Arthur. To some extent, that had allowed him to pass Antinoa's initial test.
At this point, Zhao Xu's attention returned to the book Antinoa had given him.
"Many ancient texts are written in Draconic, which is why Draconic is one of the requirements for the wizard class. Once you finish reading it, you can begin trying to convert this language," Antinoa said.
Zhao Xu knew that this conversion was actually the activation of their Draconic translation function.
Everyone was born knowing Common Tongue and their racial language, and they could also learn a number of additional languages equal to their Intelligence Modifier.
He had a +3 Intelligence Modifier, which meant he could master three additional languages.
Previously, he had lacked the opportunity, so naturally he had been unable to activate and master Draconic.
Now that he thought about it, the codex in his hands was the Draconic activation key that players talked about, allowing them to convert a Draconic language.
He had just not expected that while others used dragon bones, dragonhide, dragon blood, and the like, he had received a perfectly ordinary book.
Before long, after Zhao Xu finished reading it, he found that his personal panel had updated as well.
Name: Midsummer Race: Human/Otherworldly Creature (Earth) Age: 22 Gender: Male Build: Medium Weight: 76 kilograms Height: 183 centimeters Identity: Final Scroll - Secret Keeper Alignment: Absolute Neutral Faith: Goddess of Magic Sislvina Eyes: Black Skin: Yellow Hair: Black Base Speed: Walk 30 feet/round (approximately 9.1 meters per 6 seconds) Languages: Common Tongue, Draconic, Undecided, Undecided Racial Traits: Gains 4 additional skill points at Level 1, then 1 additional skill point with every level gained; automatically gains one additional Feat at Level 1
Only then did Zhao Xu learn for the first time that his identity was actually Secret Keeper, probably the lowest rank in the organization.
But Antinoa did not relax in the slightest. Books flew from the shelves one after another and piled onto his desk.
"Read the first book, 'Fundamentals of Spell Models,' and the second, 'Incantations and Gestures: On Spell Components.' Then read the last book at the bottom, 'Book of Zero-Level Cantrips.'"
"After you finish those three books, I'll come back and confirm your choice for your first Feat."
Hearing this, Zhao Xu nearly shed tears. He had finally taken the first step and begun learning spellcasting.
Then Zhao Xu calmed himself and entered a state of study.
Like every novice wizard in Arthur, whenever he could not understand something, he first memorized it by rote, forcing himself to learn the spell models of all kinds of structures.
But reading those magical theories before had been an investment with no visible return.
These books, however, represented his spellcasting progress bar increasing by 1%, then another 1%, so Zhao Xu's motivation was completely different.
Listening to the sound of his turning pages, Antinoa seemed to possess Mind Reading. She clearly knew what he was reading and what doubts would arise in his mind, gradually explaining the contents to him.
Meanwhile, in other wizard academies across the continent, countless apprentices copied those models by hand while reciting them. Only after they could write them out perfectly from memory were they qualified to proceed to the next stage of listening.
According to those mentors, if they could not even memorize a few simple books, what right did they have to become wizards?
Before you continue