Nelson Eddie

He recalled the past, remembering the scene of his first meeting with his teacher.

He thought of the path they had walked together and the performances they had staged.

He thought of how Abel had treated him like a son, and the happy days he spent learning magic under Abel's guidance.

He thought of how excited Abel had been when he finally promoted to an official Junior Mage.

Thomas's eyes welled up with hot tears, and he clenched his fists. Teacher, I will surely achieve success, and then I will return to show those who once looked down on you. I am your apprentice, the apprentice you raised.

After mourning his teacher, Thomas turned his thoughts to the instructor who would soon be teaching him—Joseph, who was rumored to have recently promoted to Intermediate.

This man, who looked remarkably ordinary, indeed carried the aura of someone who had just promoted.

Yet, his foundation was incredibly solid, unlike the fragile state typical of those who had just broken through.

Could this promotion method actually help one stabilize their foundation?

This was a misunderstanding on Thomas's part; in truth, it was because Joseph had spent so many years forging his own foundation to be rock-solid.

The method had simply allowed for a natural breakthrough rather than a forced one, which was why Joseph's foundation remained so firm.

This was Joseph's own achievement, and it had nothing to do with the method itself.

Thomas then pondered the strange name of the class offered by the academy: Promotion Sprint Class.

What a peculiar name, yet it inexplicably instilled a sense of trust.

At the same time, Joseph was reporting to Drew.

"The data for the seventeen people we recruited for this Promotion Sprint Class is all here. There are no issues with any of them. The files for the two individuals requiring special attention are right here."

"I only spoke to you about this yesterday, and you've already produced the results today. Your actions are too swift. With such efficiency, what kind of channel did you use?"

"The channel I found is an organization called Ravenholdt Manor. They were the ones who located the hideout of the Hurricane Bandit Group last time. Their reputation is the best in the industry," Joseph explained.

Drew was aware of the organization known as Ravenholdt Manor.

Having searched Karen's memories, he knew this was an organization composed of high-level rogues that only accepted elites.

This organization was highly efficient, but their fees were not cheap.

Furthermore, they were difficult to contact, usually requiring a referral from an old client.

Whether it was luck or capability that allowed Joseph to secure their services, Drew could not say.

"Hmm, very good. You've done well. It seems that keeping a low profile and making money as we did before is no longer viable. The Hurricane Bandit Group incident served as a wake-up call. Blindly hiding is not a long-term solution. This event has forced us into the public eye. Once exposed, we must find ways to strengthen ourselves to ensure our protection. This high-profile elimination of the bandits and the collection of the bounty is a way to demonstrate our strength to the world. Hosting this academy is meant to build our network. What remains is a powerful intelligence system. We currently lack the ability to organize our own, so your ability to connect with a reliable intelligence source is a major contribution," Drew praised, and Joseph scratched his head bashfully.

"Alright, leave the materials here. You may go about your business." After Joseph took his leave, Drew picked up the intelligence report and read it carefully.

It meticulously recorded each person's identity, strength, significant past experiences, and their purpose for enrolling.

Drew briefly skimmed the others and saved their details into the database.

He then focused his attention on the intelligence regarding the two individuals.

First was Thomas; the report detailed his age and place of birth. It covered his previous occupation and when he had begun following his teacher, Abel. It noted when and why Abel had passed away. Currently, Thomas was nothing more than a hedge mage.

His motive was clearly to find a formal channel to study magic.

However, the report did not analyze why he chose Drew's academy, nor did it record Abel's true identity.

After all, Abel had left home twenty years ago, no one from his family had ever searched for him, and he had never spoken of his background to anyone.

Even Ravenholdt Manor could not uncover his identity in such a short time.

Drew thought for a moment; this was a good find. To be so young and become an official mage while walking the path of a hedge mage—his talent must be exceptional.

Moreover, he had a deep yearning for magic. He could be taken under his wing and cultivated as a priority.

Drew marked Thomas's file for special attention.

Next was the ordinary person. This man was named Nelson Eddie, and he was a herbalist.

This man is quite interesting; he had originally intended to take his child to the Mages' Guild to have their aptitude tested.

As it turned out, his child did not possess the aptitude for magic.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a mundane affair, but it just so happened that a business rival of his had also brought his own child for testing.

The rival's child was found to have a talent for magic and was immediately taken away as an apprentice by a mage from the guild.

That changed everything, and his rival began to mock and ridicule him on the spot.

He claimed that his genes were inferior and that his lineage could never produce any real talent. He insisted that his child lacked magical aptitude solely because of his influence.

He boasted that his own genes were clearly far superior to those of Nelson Eddie, and that his son had inherited his excellent traits, which was the only reason he possessed magical talent.

Furious and hopping mad, Nelson Eddie paid to have himself tested as well, just to prove that his genes were not inferior.

He regretted it the moment before the test; the probability of having magical talent was so low, and at his age, discovering it would be meaningless—it was just a waste of money.

Furthermore, the people around him were watching with mocking gazes, waiting to see him make a fool of himself. But when the results came out, they showed that Nelson Eddie actually possessed magical talent, leaving everyone, including himself, stunned.

No one knew how to express their feelings; they had come to watch a spectacle, but the outcome was not what they had imagined. Yet, they hadn't exactly been slapped in the face either, because Nelson Eddie was far too old and had missed the prime age for learning magic, meaning he would never achieve anything of note in the future.

The best proof of this was that not a single mage present was willing to take him on as an apprentice.

Every mage shook their heads and refused him. At this point, his rival didn't even know whether he should continue to mock him or not.

Although he had proven himself, he had suffered a miserable rejection. What should have been a cause for celebration was now cast in a shadow.

Nelson Eddie had no choice but to take his child and head home.

Despite the blow, Nelson Eddie was not defeated; instead, a thought he had never entertained before took root: he wanted to learn magic.

With no one willing to teach him, he recalled a piece of news he had heard not long ago.

There was a magic academy in Lincoln Town currently recruiting students, so he came.

Additionally, the intelligence agents at Ravenholdt Manor had appended a note to Nelson Eddie's file.

He was originally a herb merchant, responsible for collecting herbs to sell to alchemists and then retailing the finished potions and elixirs.

While studying, he was certainly looking to establish some form of cooperation with Drew.

After all, Drew's alchemy skills were very famous in their line of work.

Perhaps, if one were to be bold, Nelson Eddie might have even made up his mind to apprentice himself and become an alchemist, perhaps hoping to refine the herbs he collected himself.

Seeing this analysis, Drew smiled slightly: "A bit interesting."