At the center of the ball, nobles and politicians from every country, top merchants, and others had gathered in groups according to the relationships between their nations. Smiles occasionally appeared on their faces, then gave way to solemn expressions. No one knew what they were discussing.
The young people participating in the Wizard selection had also gathered in groups of three or five. However, their faces were more youthful, and filled with curiosity about the Unknown World.
Green followed Eric to one of the groups formed by the young people.
"George, what are you discussing? How about I introduce a companion to you?" Eric walked over to one of the young men, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile.
"Governor Eric, of course I'd be happy to meet someone you're introducing. Is it the gentleman behind you?" The young man known as George did not grow angry at being interrupted. Instead, he answered Eric respectfully.
"Come, Green. Let me introduce you. This is Amyraine George, the eldest son of the Amyraine Family, one of Allendale's most prestigious families of high-ranking councilors."
Green looked at George. His features were refined, his skin fair, and he wore a tailcoat. A steady air radiated from him, while flashes of light occasionally passed through his eyes.
"Hello, Mr. Green. Your reputation as the Perfume King is renowned throughout the entire Maslow Alliance. I couldn't ask for more than to become your companion." George smiled and extended his hand toward Green.
"Hello!" Green smiled as well and shook George's hand.
Seeing that their first meeting had gone well, Eric smiled and said to George, "George, introduce the others to Green. You're all participating in the selection, so you can look after one another when the time comes. You're all about the same age and will have more to talk about. I won't disturb you."
After saying this, Eric looked at Green and gave him a nod before turning and leaving.
"This is Fila and Fia, sisters from the Filks Family. Their family owns the famous Filks Trading House. As it happens, their family also has a business partnership with your Perfume House. They greatly admire a Grand Knight-level powerhouse like you." George pointed at the two women in the group and introduced them to Green.
"Greetings, Mr. Green! It's a great honor to meet you!" The Fila and Fia sisters looked remarkably alike. Both had long golden hair and sky-blue eyes. However, Fila, the elder sister, was taller, while Fia looked like a smaller version of Fila. Their coordination was excellent. They greeted Green at the same time, and faint blushes appeared on their faces as they looked at him.
"It's an honor to meet you as well, Miss Fila, Miss Fia!" Green smiled and placed a hand over his chest, giving them a noble's salute. Green had some impression of the Filks Family. They were involved in perfumes and were one of the distributors of Green's perfumes.
George continued pointing at several people in the small group and introduced them to Green one by one.
"This is Roland, the second son of the Bint Family, a renowned military family of the Maslow Alliance." Roland's build was extremely robust, and his skin had been darkened by the sun. At a glance, it was clear that he had undergone brutal training.
"This is Aeso, the second son of the Nanot Family. They're also a military family." Aeso's build was similar to Roland's. Coming from another military family, he had probably begun training at a young age as well.
"This is David, the second son of the Acefield Family. Like mine, his family is also a member of the Maslow Alliance." David looked more like a noble. His skin was fair, his black hair neatly groomed, and his golden eyes, paired with his tailcoat, gave him the unmistakable bearing of an old aristocratic family.
Under George's introductions, Green shook hands with each of them.
[Chip, scan everyone's data.]
[George: Strength: 2.5 Speed: 2.2, Constitution: 2.7 Spirit: 1~2]
[Fila: Strength: 2.1 Speed: 2.0, Constitution: 2.1 Spirit: 1~2]
[Fia: Strength: 2.0 Speed: 2.0, Constitution: 2.0 Spirit: 1~2]
[Roland: Strength: 2.7 Speed: 2.1, Constitution: 2.8 Spirit: 1~2]
[Aeso: Strength: 2.6 Speed: 2.3, Constitution: 2.7 Spirit: 1~2]
[David: Strength: 2.5 Speed: 2.3, Constitution: 2.4 Spirit: 1~2]
Every one of them was a Knight Apprentice. Even the girls, Fila and Fia, had reached the level of Knight Apprentice.
"Let's give a round of applause to welcome Green into our group." After introducing everyone, George addressed the group.
A round of applause rang out as everyone once again congratulated Green on joining them.
"Everyone, you more or less know my situation. I don't know much about the Wizarding World. Could you tell me about it?" Green got straight to the point. Now that they had formed a group, there was naturally no need to hide his intentions.
At Green's question, confusion also appeared on the others' faces. It seemed they did not know much about the Wizarding World either. Only George's expression kept changing, conflict and hesitation wrestling across his face. Finally, he seemed to make up his mind. He pointed toward a room and gestured for everyone to go there together.
Seeing George's actions, everyone grew excited. They quickly entered the room he had indicated. Once everyone was inside, George cautiously checked the situation outside, closed the door, and only then turned back to face them.
"George, isn't this a little excessive? There shouldn't be any problem sharing some general information about the Wizarding World, right? Everyone knows these things. It should be fine to tell Green, shouldn't it?" Roland, who came from a military family, spoke in confusion as he watched George's cautious behavior.
"What do you think I formed this alliance for? To reach the Academy safely and become a true Wizard. You don't think the entire journey will be safe, do you?"
George spoke to everyone with a gloomy expression and a low voice. As they watched his face, the atmosphere gradually fell silent.
"Let's start with the basics. The place we're heading to is called the East Coast. The East Coast is occupied by two major alliances: the White Wizard Association and the Black Wizard Council. These two organizations have different principles."
"The White Wizard's methods of cultivation are more peaceful, no different from our Knight Academy. Even if you achieve nothing, you won't die easily. However, White Wizards have higher requirements for aptitude, making their Academies harder to enter. Black Wizards are different. They revere power more highly and believe only a cruel environment can produce the strong. Aptitude is merely one standard and doesn't represent everything. Therefore, even people with somewhat poor aptitude may still be accepted by the Black Wizard Organization." At this point, George's face had turned deathly pale.
"If you aren't accepted by the White Wizard Organization, do not risk joining the Black Wizard Organization. Competition among Black Wizards is extremely brutal, and it's easy to die on the road to the Academy. Legend has it that the Black Wizard Organization deliberately creates trouble aboard the ships heading to the Academy to weed out the weak. Even if you reach the Academy, you may not survive the brutal competition. Almost every Wizard who comes out of the Black Wizard Organization is twisted. Body Modification, three hands, three legs, and three heads are merely the most common occurrences among Black Wizards. Toying with souls and tormenting a person for all eternity is practically a required lesson that every Black Wizard must master."
George's ashen face provided the strongest proof of his words. The others in the small group also looked increasingly worse.
Abandoning the path to becoming Wizards was practically impossible for them. They all carried the missions of their families. If one organization rejected them, their families would certainly demand that they try another. By the standards of the Black Wizard Organization, it was likely none of them would be rejected. The color had completely drained from Fila and Fia's faces, leaving only fear.
Standing to the side, Green listened to George's explanation and could not help feeling fortunate. Although he had complete confidence in himself, he absolutely did not want to end up in the Black Wizard Organization. If someone accidentally killed him with a Curse or something similar—to die before even setting out on the journey—that would be disastrous. In his previous life, he had also endured quite a few assassinations and lived in constant fear. Green did not want to go through that again.
"There are six major organizations across the entire East Coast: three White Wizard organizations and three Black Wizard organizations. Various other organizations, both large and small, will also come here to recruit students. On the day of recruitment, the simplest way to tell them apart is by their clothes. White Wizards wear white robes, while Black Wizards wear black robes."
"The three major White Wizard organizations are the Six-Ring Tower, the Nature School, and the White House Academy."
"The three major Black Wizard organizations are the Dollhouse, the Silent Academy, and the Soul School."
"However, you must also be careful. Some Black Wizard organizations deliberately wear white robes, but White Wizards will never wear black robes."
George's words made everyone except Green turn even paler. The two girls nearly collapsed. How could there be organizations like that, deceiving them at the very first step?
As for Green, he remained expressionless. In everyone's eyes, Green possessed the strength of a Grand Knight and therefore had good reason to be confident. Even if he were assigned to a Black Wizard organization, his Grand Knight-level strength meant he certainly would not be at the bottom.
The others also realized this and turned their gazes toward Green. Why had George tried to recruit Green? It was because Green was a Grand Knight. Although they had no idea what level a Grand Knight represented among Wizards, to these newly selected Wizard candidates, Green was unquestionably the most outstanding of them all.
"Big Brother Green, you'll definitely protect us, right?" Fila and Fia had already understood. They timidly walked over to Green, each taking one of his hands and leaning against him as they spoke with an expression that would make any flower wilt.
"Don't worry. As long as we're in the same Academy when the time comes, I'll definitely protect everyone." George had provided Green with a great deal of information. If they were in the same place, helping them would be no trouble. Of course, if the situation truly became unavoidable, Green could only be unable to help.
At this point, everyone in the group was filled with worry and naturally had no mood to continue with the ball. Green also quickly took his leave and returned to his estate.
After returning to his estate, Green plunged headfirst into his experiments. He listed over a hundred perfume formulas, produced more than a thousand Stinky Flower seeds—the flowering period of a Stinky Flower was one year—and used up every material in the laboratory to produce more than fifty bottles of Life Potion. Green did not dare to gamble. The Wizarding World was not as peaceful as he had imagined. If he died on the East Coast, he had to at least ensure the continuation of his family at Ellendal Harbor.
Green also summoned the important personnel and had them announce the news.
Old Green sat at the table. As Green kept tapping on it, Old Green ultimately only watched him in silence without saying a word.
The three pregnant women, including Ashlyn, did not cry and beg Green not to leave. Instead, they silently sat there and expressed their support.
Seeing this, Green even hesitated over whether he should leave. However, he quickly reaffirmed his resolve. If he did not leave now, then after the children were born, leaving would probably become even more impossible.
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