The Brightest Highlight

At this,

Wayne curiously followed the Rose Marquis's gaze and saw another group of people entering through the doors,

around a thousand in number.

"No talent."

"No talent."

"No talent."

"Low-level knight talent, no wizard aptitude, low-level fire-element affinity talent."

Watching this scene, Wayne finally understood why the Rose Marquis had said that,

especially upon seeing so many people with no talent at all.

Wayne's mouth twitched.

At that moment, the Rose Marquis spoke again.

"Child, do you see?

This is reality. You possess two top-tier talents; that is a treasure bestowed upon you by the heavens.

I hope you will strive onward."

At this,

Wayne turned slightly and gave a small bow. "I understand, Lady Marquis.

Thank you for broadening my horizons."

The Rose Marquis shook her head slightly and said nothing further.

Instead, she looked ahead

and began watching the Awakening Ceremony, for it concerned her own interests!

Time passed until noon. As the final awakener completed their test,

the Awakening Ceremony

came to an end.

Wayne fixed the numbers in his mind: sixteen people possessed top-tier talents.

One hundred and twenty-seven possessed high-tier talents.

And that was only because Rose City was the center of the Rose Territory. Those able to awaken here

were, at worst, born into extraordinary families.

They had merely fallen into decline, leaving them with nothing but money.

Yet even so,

the number of awakened talents was only this high. According to the Rose Marquis,

including awakeners from all other regions, the number able to travel to the Imperial Capital's center to study each year ranged

from three hundred to five hundred.

Even if this year was an especially abundant year for talent, and the number was expanded to eight hundred,

tsk, tsk.

Aside from the 143 people before him who could go study, the remaining study slots, divided among the Rose Territory's population of one billion,

were pitifully few.

It was truly cruel. And Wayne had already estimated generously; the actual number would most likely be even lower.

As he pondered,

the Rose Marquis spoke. "The Awakening Ceremony is over.

Come with me."

After saying that, Wayne felt himself float into the air and fly downward. Of course, it was not only Wayne;

everyone on the high platform

was lifted in the same manner.

Only when they were ten meters from the entrance to the Awakening Hall did they slowly descend. Once they found their footing, before they could think much about it,

they followed the Rose Marquis

outside.

A moment later,

the sky before them brightened. Blue skies and white clouds reappeared, while the crowd outside had already dispersed

to the plaza a hundred meters away.

In their place stood a knight formation,

three thousand strong.

They wore silver armor, with the emblem of the Rose Territory on their chests. They were the knight order under the Rose Territory—or rather, the Rose Marquis. Every one of them possessed the cultivation of a Level 3 Silver Knight.

The captain of each hundred-man unit possessed the cultivation of a Level 4 Gold Knight.

And the commander of the knight order

was a Level 5 Platinum Knight.

Their full name was—the Rose Knights.

At that moment,

the Rose Marquis spoke again. "Those with high-tier talents,

may each choose a knight to escort you home and serve as your guard for three days. During that time, bid farewell to your families and prepare your luggage.

Gather at Rose Manor in three days."

After saying that,

she did not continue immediately. Instead, a faint smile appeared in her eyes

as she waited.

Wayne was not surprised. This happened every year. After choosing a knight,

they would escort you home.

During that time, you would receive countless envious gazes. It was also meant to encourage everyone in the Rose Territory,

to make everyone aspire to it,

so that everyone would work hard at having children.

If he had to compare it to something,

Wayne felt it was like the top three scholars who passed the imperial examinations in ancient times in his previous life,

parading through the streets with drums and gongs.

Just like that poem:

"Past hardships are not worth boasting of; today, unrestrained thoughts stretch without end.

Riding proudly through the spring breeze, my horse's hooves fly; in one day, I behold all the flowers of Chang'an."

Those who awakened high-tier talents were like successful candidates in the imperial examinations of his previous life,

their names inscribed upon the golden list!

As for the three-day guard detail, that was even more interesting.

In this day and age,

there was no such thing as humans harming one another, nor were there any organizations or factions

that would assassinate those with high-tier talents.

Moreover, this was the center of the Rose Territory, making it even less likely.

Even the dark wizard organizations among wizards were members affiliated with the Tower of Truth.

The reason for the three days of protection

was more so

to let you study in peace!

In other words, the king had returned—it was time to slap some faces!

Whether it was illegitimate children

or those who had been bullied, this was their chance to turn things around. They could settle their affairs and leave for their studies without worry.

Just thinking about it, Wayne found it amusing.

It was practically a massive, assembly-line webnovel scene.

A few years ago, he had watched it happen in person.

Of course,

Wayne also found it rather ridiculous. It looked foolish, yet there were cases like this every year.

Why?

Naturally, because they were gambling on probability. Those who could awaken high-tier talents were exceedingly rare.

Sure enough,

Wayne had already spotted peers who had awakened high-tier talents wearing sinister grins. Seeing this,

Wayne could not help mourning for those families. It was not that he pitied them; he merely lamented that such luck

was itself a kind of extravagance, was it not?

He silently thought to himself,

To run into this too—what kind of cursed luck is that?

The reason such an obviously foolish phenomenon existed was largely because of sayings like,

"Do not belittle the poor youth.

Do not belittle the poor middle-aged man.

Do not belittle the poor old man; when he dies, respect the dead!"

Such unfortunate fools were the norm. They would grit their teeth, determined to turn their lives around,

only to perhaps fail even to awaken a talent in the end.

Tsk, tsk.

The more he thought about it, the more absurd and real it seemed!

After all the high-tier talents had chosen their knights and left,

the Rose Marquis continued.

"Those with top-tier talents may choose one knight captain and the hundred knights under them as guards for the next three days."

She paused as she spoke,

her tone somewhat impassioned. "Go, children.

Go enjoy the moment that belongs to you."

At this,

the remaining sixteen top-tier talents could not help feeling excited, even Wayne, who had lived two lives.

Compared to a single knight escorting the others,

they would have a hundred-man unit. Wayne grew excited just imagining such a grand procession.

After all, regardless of gender,

this life was lived for four words: 'a moment in the spotlight'!

A few years ago, he could only watch,

showing envy amid the crowd. Now, the opportunity had come

"to me!"

Before he could react, cheers rang out around him, and three top-tier talents ran out first.

Wayne hurriedly raised his foot to follow,

but before he could take a step, the Rose Marquis spoke again.

"Wayne, you are not included."

Wayne turned back with a puzzled expression. The Rose Marquis looked at him teasingly, and before Wayne could say more,

she spoke again.

"You will return with me on a dragon. With talent like yours, a hundred-man knight unit

is not worthy of you."

At this,

Wayne broke into a wide smile.

"Haha, really?"

The Rose Marquis lowered her head and tilted her face slightly as she nodded.

"Of course. I want you to remember this day forever.

Even when you look back after many years,

during those long years spent pursuing truth,

this time

will, when you recall the past, surely remain one of the brightest highlights in your memories!"