Conversations Between Magic Armament Assessments
The so-called "qualification certification" assessment system, in its inception, was more about "protection" than "honor."
The system, drafted jointly by the Magic Affairs Institute and the Research Institute, was designed to prevent magical girls, whose power was not yet strong at the time, from blindly attacking Aberrant Beast beyond their capabilities.
Do not attempt to engage Pupa Stage opponent without obtaining White Card; do not attempt to challenge Molt Stage beyond Half-Molt without obtaining Letter Card. Linking strength to "qualification" rather than solely judging strength based on the Blossoming stage is a system that prevents the unnecessary loss of valuable reserve combat power.
For this reason, in the early days of the qualification certification system, there was no so-called "written test". At that time, the qualification certification only had two "practical" projects: one to test Magic Armament and the other to test Spell Formula mastery and other basic abilities.
As times have changed, many things have come to pass. The symbolic meanings of "White Card" and "Letter Card" have gradually shifted, no longer merely representing "qualification certificates for conquering," but rather bestowing upon them more honors, rights, and obligations. At the same time, the test content for White Card and Letter Card examinations has gradually become distinct. Today, White Card and Letter Card have become two vastly different tests.
Even the White Card Test itself has evolved from two single practical tests to four written tests and four practical tests, all in order to evaluate a new magical girl's abilities in a more multi-dimensional way.
However, one thing has remained unchanged since ancient times: the "Magic Armament" test. It should be said that since the assessment system for magic qualification certification was established, the "Magic Armament" test has never been removed from the White Card assessment.
This is beyond doubt, simply because Magic Armament is the absolute core of a magical girl's abilities. A magical girl who cannot properly develop her Magic Armament abilities is almost destined not to go far.
Capabilities, scope of application, application areas, development potential, stability... these are all indicators that the Examination Institute will consider. Only after combining these test contents will the examiners give a comprehensive rating for the Magic Armament.
"Representing the highest level, the Soliflore Level is like a single blooming flower crown; the Aster Level symbolizes a shining star; and then there's the Briza Level, corresponding to the blue sky, atmosphere, and breeze..."
Anthurium kept uttering one obscure word after another from her Kingdom Tongue, leaving Mint and Lin Xiaolu bewildered. Luckily, they weren't completely ignorant about the assessment, so they guessed that these words probably referred to the true meaning of the "S," "A," and "B" grades they had heard before.
"You should know that the potential of Magic Armament is related to the complexity of its external form, right? Pairs of Magic Armament have more Magic Armament than single pieces, and groups of Magic Armament have even greater potential."
Anthurium, who had already broken away from the small group of graduates from the Silver Gallery, naturally took the empty seat between Lin Xiaolu and Mint like an old friend, explaining to them, "That's why the kid who said he was a B-grade before probably wasn't telling the truth."
"Why?" Lin Xiaolu asked curiously.
Knowing that the other party's target was her, not Larkspur, she felt she had no reason to refuse and agreed. Since someone had brought the message to her doorstep, and she figured she might as well listen, she naturally wanted to ask a few more questions.
"Because I've never heard of any non-'paired' Magic Armament in the Silver Gallery ever achieving a rating of C or higher."
Anthurium's tone was calm. "Judging from its form, that child's Magic Armament is just a very simple single piece. Although I don't mean to discriminate against anyone... from the lowest E-rank to C-rank, a single piece of Magic Armament must cross three ranks to reach a B-rank rating. Such an achievement is extremely rare throughout history. She doesn't seem like someone who can do such a thing."
"It's impossible for a single piece of Magic Armament to be C-grade or higher?" Lin Xiaolu was a little unhappy when she heard this.
Although she didn't say it to anyone, she knew her own situation very well; her Magic Armament was actually just a "single piece".
"Highly probable, or rather, almost impossible during the White Card stage."
Anthurium seemed oblivious to the emotion in Lin Xiaolu's words. "Some magical girls can evolve their Magic Armament from a single piece into other forms after reaching the Blossom Rank. But this is the result of personal effort and opportunity. During the White Card assessment stage, the examiners cannot raise the score for a vague future."
"What if that child is exceptionally gifted?" Lin Xiaolu was still trying to argue.
"Perhaps, but it's definitely not that child." Anthurium glanced at Lin Xiaolu.
"Hmm?" Lin Xiaolu sensed the underlying meaning in his words.
"One of the outward manifestations of my Magic Armament abilities is that they allow me to discern the truthfulness of others' words to a certain extent."
Anthurium looked at Lin Xiaolu with her heart-shaped irises. "So I could tell that the child was bluffing."
"... What the heck? You can read minds?" Lin Xiaolu subconsciously took two steps away from the Anthurium.
"It hasn't come to that point. Like I said, it's just about distinguishing between the truth and lies."
Anthurium didn't pay attention to Lin Xiaolu's actions. "For example, you just said that she might be exceptionally talented. I could tell that you yourself didn't believe what you said."
Lin Xiaolu fell silent.
"So, does that mean that pairs of Magic Armament are guaranteed to be at least B-grade?" Lin Xiaolu remained silent, giving Mint, who was listening in, a chance to ask a question.
"Generally speaking, a pair of Magic Armament will only be rated C-grade if it performs exceptionally poorly."
Anthurium Zhu spoke frankly, "Just like a group of Magic Armament, only when their performance is truly terrible will they be rated B."
"That outfit?" It was finally Bai Jingxuan's turn to ask.
"Undoubtedly an S." Anthurium's answer was also precise, "It should be said that, from the beginning of the Kingdom's history to the present, there have only been a handful of magical girls who have been able to achieve an S-rank rating for their Magic Armament at the White Card stage. The vast majority of them have become famous figures in history books, and some can even still be seen as important figures in the Kingdom's upper echelons today."
Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan exchanged a glance, and the two children almost simultaneously thought of the same person.
"Then, you said Cornflower..." In the end, Lin Xiaolu couldn't contain herself and asked the question.
"Cornflower didn't participate in the White Card assessment; she skipped it."
Anthurium gave Lin Xiaolu a meaningful look. "The Letter Card test doesn't test Magic Armament, so nobody knows what rating her Magic Armament should be."
"Oh, that's true." Lin Xiaolu didn't want to meet her gaze, so she awkwardly looked away.
The group leaned against the corridor wall, chatting idly. After finishing discussing the information related to the assessment, Mint took the lead and started talking about various strange stories and gossip... It has to be said that Mint has an extraordinary talent for creating a lively atmosphere and generating topics, so even though Anthurium was a stranger to them before today, they could chat for hours.
And so, as the four of them got more and more into their conversation, to the point that they almost forgot why they were there in the first place, the door to the examination room in front of them finally opened for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
This time, Bai Jingxuan was the one whose exam number was called.