Harbor

Time quickly arrived. All unrelated personnel had been driven out of Ellendal Harbor, leaving only those involved and privy to the inside details waiting within the harbor district.

As one of those taking part in the selection, Green had arrived outside the harbor early. Countless nobles had already gathered there, constantly urging their children to join some wizard organization.

Looking at those nobles, Green felt nothing but disgust. They did not truly want their children to become wizards; they merely wanted to send them across the sea, gaining another unknown possibility in the process. Other nobles who knew the truth would treat these families more favorably because of that possibility. After all, no one knew whether it would pay off. If it did, their own families would be the ones in trouble.

Simply put, most of those selected were sacrifices offered up by their families. They had merely been kept in the dark and did not realize it. Those with poorer aptitude would ultimately be forced by their families to join dark wizard organizations, where their chances of survival were slim.

Following customary practice, Eric had arranged for people to set up recruitment camps for the major wizard organizations. The wizard organizations would not remain here for long. Wizards radiated a power ordinary people could not perceive, and if normal people stayed around wizards for too long, their lives could even be in danger.

As Green observed the situation at the harbor, George approached him with the other five.

"Green, are you ready?" George asked with a smile, though it looked rather forced.

"More or less. What about you?" Green replied with a smile. After all, George had provided him with information. Though it had been an exchange, in this world where information was monopolized, George's intelligence was still extremely valuable.

"By the way, do you know how the selection process works?" Green asked George.

"The wizard organizations will set up the symbols of their academies before the temporary tents at the harbor. If you're interested, you can enter and take the test. However, this test is only conducted at the first wizard organization you visit. Afterward, you'll receive an aptitude report. If that academy doesn't admit you, you can take the report to other organizations and ask them." George explained to everyone, though he was mainly explaining it to Green. The other five had already learned this basic information from their families.

"Aptitude test?" Green thought of his own aptitude. He could only be certain that he possessed wizard talent; as for whether it was good or bad, he knew nothing.

"Academy tents... Isn't this just like university club recruitment in my previous life? Except with an aptitude test added in." Green thought silently.

The group began praying in silence. Fila and Fia had no thoughts for anything else now. Everyone fell quiet, praying for their futures.

As time passed, more and more people gathered outside the harbor. Based on the Chip's visual count, there were at least a thousand people present, with even more queuing around the outskirts of the harbor. However, there were dozens of well-known wizard organizations on the East Coast, in addition to countless small and medium-sized organizations. There were nowhere near enough people to go around, and not everyone possessed wizard talent.

Yet even with over a thousand people present, the surroundings remained extremely quiet. Even when people spoke, they tried their best to keep their voices low.

"That's because someone shouted before and angered the dark wizards, directly causing more than a hundred casualties." Noticing Green's curious expression, George explained softly.

Hearing George's warning, Green silently nodded. It seemed dark wizards truly had terrible tempers. He had better follow the rules and avoid angering any wizards.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the annual recruitment is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves and do not make noise. Those found to have no wizard aptitude after testing, please leave the area immediately. Others still need to enter." At some point, Eric had appeared before the harbor gates and called out to everyone.

"Now, please enter the harbor and choose an academy. Remember, before signing a contract, you may choose any academy you wish. But once you sign a contract, there will be no chance to regret it. You may not leave the harbor again! Anyone who tries to leave by force will only be captured by the wizard lords and suffer torment for eternity!" Eric warned everyone as he had his soldiers slowly push open the harbor gates.

All those participating in the selection began entering the harbor slowly. Green's small group also moved forward with the crowd. Perhaps because they had arrived early, it did not take long before it was Green's group's turn.

Following the signs, Green and the others quickly reached the edge of the harbor, where a huge cluster of tents came into view.

"Fifty-six tents. In other words, there are at least fifty-six notable forces on the East Coast." The Chip immediately compiled the information through Green's vision.

Before they could get close to the tents, soldiers blocked their path. The reason was to prevent overcrowding: one person could enter only after one person left.

One noble child after another left the area with their heads lowered. Finally, it was Green's turn.

"Once inside, immediately find an academy for testing. Do not linger and wait for your group. You have little chance of being assigned together." Before Green entered the tent area, a soldier's emotionless voice reached his ears.

Green turned to look at the soldier, nodded, then signaled to George behind him before entering the tent area.

The moment he entered the camp, a cacophony of noise flooded Green's ears. The enormous contrast left him momentarily stunned.

"A barrier that isolates sound inside and out?" Feeling the complete difference between the sounds within and outside, Green muttered to himself.

"Chip, display the environmental changes from just now."

[Retrieving data]

A blue light screen continuously appeared, analyzing the conditions when Green entered the camp.

[Unknown energy layer detected. Possesses sound absorption and vibration-blocking effects.]

[Scanning boundaries.]

A hemispherical barrier appeared before Green's eyes, perfectly enclosing the entire tent area.

[Analyze and construct a spell model? Estimated time: three days. Proceed?]

"Begin the analysis immediately." He still did not know what would happen next, and the Chip had spare computing capacity. Naturally, Green would not give up the chance to decipher it.

After having the Chip begin its analysis, Green looked around. Most of the people nearby were participants in the selection like himself. Some were alone, while others had formed small groups.

Glancing back at the other six still waiting, Green remembered the soldier's warning. He turned and left the spot, heading toward the tent area.

At the very center of the tent area stood six enormous tents, exceptionally conspicuous. Their entirely different patterns showed that they belonged to different forces.

There were many people queuing before these tents. However, the vast majority emerged with heavy expressions.

Green's target was White House Academy. As one of the six major organizations, its tent also had a long line. Although aptitude tests could be conducted elsewhere, Green still joined White House Academy's queue without hesitation to prevent any unforeseen complications.