Preparing for the Assessment

After receiving Elaine's letter, Lynn found out that Elaine had already passed the Initiate Mage assessment one step ahead of him and formally joined the Green Tower.

It stirred a bit of competitiveness in him, so he left home early the next morning and arrived just as the Magic Association opened for work.

Though the Magic Association in Colin Town had always been deserted, and there was never any risk of needing to queue in the first place.

"Lynn, why are you here so early?" Old Barton was on duty downstairs today, and spotted Lynn the moment he came through the door.

Only, his gaze flickered slightly, as if he did not want Lynn to be here right now.

"Mr. Barton, I've finished digesting that Day and Night Obscurity magic book of yours."

At that, the wrinkles at the corners of Barton's eyes gathered densely. "Good. I really didn't misjudge you. At this speed, in two or three years, becoming a Veteran Mage won't be impossible."

Then his tone shifted, growing rather solemn. "However, don't grow too proud. The road of magic is by no means smooth and open. The hurdles ahead will only become harder and harder to cross. Even geniuses have moments when they fall, so you must prepare yourself mentally."

For Lynn, who had only just taken his first steps onto the path of magic and had barely tasted the marrow and known its savor, he did not resent the old man's warning at all. Instead, he nodded very seriously.

"Thank you for your instruction, Mr. Barton. I'd like to apply for the Initiate Mage assessment today. Is that possible?"

At those words, the mustache above Barton's lips trembled slightly. He seemed extremely hesitant.

Lynn's gaze narrowed faintly. Had something happened at the Magic Association?

Suddenly, he heard crisp footsteps coming from the stairway. He turned his eyes and saw a young man in formal attire coming downstairs.

He wore a fitted black silk tailcoat, with the stiff snow-white collar of his shirt exposed, the topmost button fastened meticulously.

His blond hair fell to his shoulders, and a pair of thin metal-framed glasses sat on his high, straight nose. His posture was upright, and when he walked, he carried himself with reserved elegance, every inch the image of a noble young gentleman.

However, what drew Lynn's attention most was the badge pinned to his chest, carved with a golden balance scale.

This guy was from the Golden Tower?

At that moment, Lynn suddenly noticed that Barton's mustache beside him was trembling even more violently.

He's hostile to this young man? Lynn thought with interest.

That made sense. The Golden Tower had always been high-profile in the way it did things, particular about the four words "wealthy enough to crush others," and was not especially acknowledged by the other Mage Towers, whether openly or in secret.

On top of that, the Colin Town Magic Association was lodged beneath the Golden Tower's "eaves," and the Golden Tower's influence over it was beyond question. Tense relations were only reasonable.

The meticulously dressed young man strode quickly up to the two of them. First, he pressed one hand to his chest and saluted Barton. "Mr. Barton."

Then he turned to look at Lynn, his deep gray-blue eyes fixed on him as he asked, "And this is?"

Lynn first glanced at Barton before replying politely, "Apprentice Mage, Lynn Lowell."

He understood very well that Old Barton intended to take him as a student and had invited him to join the White Tower Society, but there was certainly competition between the Mage Towers when it came to recruiting fresh blood.

Previously, Barton and old Adolph of the Blue Tower had argued over Lynn. Now, facing a member of the Golden Tower, he wanted to keep as low a profile as possible.

Unexpectedly, when that man heard the title "Apprentice Mage," his gaze instead gained a little more interest as he sized Lynn up.

He extended his hand of his own accord. "Luke Gattuso, steward of the Golden Tower, and current rotating president of the Magic Association. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lynn."

Lynn's eyes widened slightly. As far as he knew, the White, Blue, and Yellow Towers were closely connected in the Yaxia Kingdom and were known as the "Three Tower Alliance." Because of that, the presidents of the Magic Associations in various regions were all held in rotation by senior members of those three towers.

What he had not expected was that this man, despite being so young, was actually the current president of the Magic Association.

Moreover, he inferred that this Mr. Luke should be like Barton, at least a Veteran Level spellcaster!

What puzzled him even more was that someone who had reached Veteran Level at such a young age must possess outstanding talent. No matter which magic organization he was placed in, he would be cultivated as a core figure for the organization's future. So why would he appear in a small place like Colin Town?

"Lynn Lowell." He shook Luke's hand politely, only then noticing that Luke wore three rings on his right hand, each exquisitely made and of different materials.

Lynn recognized at a glance that all of them were magic items, and their quality was not low!

People from the Golden Tower really are wealthy enough to crush others... he sighed silently.

"Is there anything Mr. Lynn came to the association to handle today?" Luke asked in a gentle tone, his smile meticulous.

But Old Barton gave a cold snort. "He came to find me for the Initiate Mage assessment. If there's nothing else, we'll head upstairs first."

Barton's tone deliberately stressed the words "find me." Lynn understood; he was emphasizing that the two of them had known each other for a long time, and that Lynn was already an internally decided White Tower member.

Such matters were also very common in the magic world. It was just that mages had always thought highly of themselves, and only looked with favor upon outstanding seeds who possessed genuine talent and learning. They would absolutely never falsify a magic test.

His words were already perfectly clear, but unexpectedly, Luke merely smiled faintly, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and said with a smile:

"Then why not let me observe? It just so happens that I've been here for quite some time, but I'm still not familiar with our assessment process here."

Barton's expression immediately became somewhat ugly, but he could not say much more. He merely left behind the line, "Mr. President certainly has free time today!" and led Lynn upstairs.

The first floor of the Magic Association was a spacious hall, similar to the Adventurer's Guild, mainly for reception personnel and handling common affairs.

But things like rating assessments and magic demonstrations required going to the second floor. There was a specially set up protective barrier there, which ensured that the building would not be destroyed by magic.

Barton led Lynn into a spacious room on the second floor. The moment Lynn stepped inside, he felt as though he had been separated from the outside world by a transparent film.

"This is the assessment room. A special magical barrier is attached here. It can withstand and absorb the power of spells of the third circle and below, and at the same time, it can isolate the effects of some mental control-type magic."

A barrier that could persist long-term and withstand third-circle spells—he wondered what circle such an impressive barrier spell belonged to.

He naturally looked over the interior of the room, extremely curious in his heart. Keeping such a powerful barrier running continuously should require a great deal of magical power, so where would the magic source be set up?

The room was very large, but had very few furnishings, making it appear extremely empty.

At this moment, there were only three people in the assessment room: a staff member dressed much like the one downstairs, a middle-aged examinee around thirty years old, and an elderly man in a loose blue robe, his hair and beard both white.

"Adolph, why are you here?" Barton asked, his tone rising slightly.

The old man inwardly cried that this was bad. Not only had that blond kid from the Golden Tower, in a once-in-a-century rarity, come wandering around the Magic Association, but that old thing Adolph had actually come to join in the excitement too...

Adolph was sitting upright in a chair with his eyes closed, resting his spirit. At the words, he said without even moving an eyelid:

"An old friend came to take the exam, so I stopped by to have a look."

Lynn could be considered acquainted with the old man, so out of courtesy, he greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Adolph."

When Adolph heard his voice, his eyes snapped open at once. He turned around and looked at him, his gaze brimming with clear, brilliant light.

A moment later, his long beard trembled, and a smile appeared on his face. "Long time no see, Lynn."

In truth, it had not been that long. Since the last time he had gone to the third floor of the Golden Tower to duel Seth, only ten days had passed.

Luke, who had been quiet at the side all this time, watched Lynn's back in silence with gray-blue eyes.

The inexplicable interest that had arisen in his heart when he first saw Lynn grew even stronger. He had not expected that two deeply experienced old men would both pay such close attention to this kid...