Full Mage

Two days later, Allen returned to his lodgings outside Dalaran City. He had been away for over a month, and a layer of dust had settled over the house. He tidied up briefly, put down all his luggage, and planned to get a good night's sleep first.

The next day, he went into the city and found George the merchant. "Hey, buddy, you're finally back! My business shrank by nearly half while you were gone. It's wonderful to have you back." George greeted him happily. Allen smiled in return. "George, I didn't want that to happen either. In fact, I came straight back as soon as I finished the mission. I'll bring you the potions in a week. Today, I just wanted to ask you about something."

"What do you want to know? I'll tell you anything I know," he said casually. Allen gathered his words before asking, "Do you know how mages advance? I mean, how do you tell whether they've advanced?" George frowned as he answered, "Mages advancing? Aren't you a mage? You should know more about that than I do. As for how to tell, all I know is that Dalaran has a test for full mages. I really don't know the details."

Well, he should have expected George not to know about these things. He did not press him further. Instead, he chatted with him for a while, asked about recent events, and left. Afterward, he visited the Association again, this time asking the staff at the counter directly. They would certainly know what the test for full mages involved.

According to them, there were several methods. The simplest was to test how much mana had accumulated inside his body. As long as it had reached the first rank, that was enough. But he could not use that method, because he had no mana.

The next method was to prove that his mana had reached the first rank. Since many mages disliked having others inspect their mana, most chose this method. If someone could cast a first-rank spell three times in succession, that meant their mana had definitely reached the level of a first-rank mage. This indirect method could also establish the actual state of their mana.

Finally, if someone had an archmage as their mentor, and that mentor vouched that their mana had indeed reached the required level, the Association would accept that as well. Of course, no one would fake it, because it was easy to distinguish whether someone's mana had reached the first rank. Mana generally underwent enormous changes at each rank, and it was usually difficult to possess such vast amounts without advancing.

After learning about the Association's testing methods, he felt reassured. He had worried earlier that his differences might prevent him from passing. Now, it seemed the mage test should pose no problem.

After learning the details, he requested a test that very day. He went to the office, and as soon as he entered, a beautiful woman behind the counter said to him, "Hello. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to undergo Full Mage Certification." She searched beneath the counter for a few minutes, took out a book, and began asking him questions. "Have you already joined Dalaran, sir?" Allen answered in the affirmative, so she placed the book before him and asked him to fill in his information.

Five minutes later, he had finished all the miscellaneous formalities. After he paid fifteen gold coins, an attendant led him to an open space out back and asked him to wait another five minutes. Before long, the mage who would test him arrived. He did not dare use his Mental Power to probe the mage's rank. He could only vaguely sense that this mage was not as powerful as Larz, whom he had met before, and probably had not reached the fifth rank.

This sense had emerged after his Mental Power underwent its qualitative transformation. It allowed him to vaguely gauge an enemy's strength without using his Mental Power. Although it was not very accurate, it was still very useful for judging an enemy's strength.

As soon as the mage arrived, he told Allen to cast a first-rank spell. Without hesitation, Allen began channeling mana. A second later, a huge Wind Blade shot out. The mage beside him was astonished. "That Wind Blade of yours isn't a standard Wind Blade. It's far more powerful than the original. Is this a spell you created?"

Of course, he could not tell the truth. He did not want to draw too much attention yet, so he told the mage, "This is a spell passed down by my ancestors." The mage was not particularly surprised and told him in a relaxed tone, "Your ancestor must have been a great mage. I suggest submitting this spell to Dalaran. They'll give you a good reward, and whenever someone buys your spell through the Association, you'll receive thirty percent of the proceeds. It's a good option for many newly advanced mages."

He nodded to show that he would consider it, then continued the test. Since his spell was not a standard first-rank spell, he only needed to cast it once more to pass. Not long after completing the test, he received a new badge, along with a new Mage Robe and Staff. These were all provided for Dalaran's mages; only mages who had joined Dalaran received these benefits.

After collecting everything, Allen immediately returned to his lodgings. He planned to spend the next week making all the potions. Aside from the two Greater Healing Potions, most of the potions he had prepared earlier had been nearly used up during his month in Silverpine Forest. He also needed to prepare a batch for the merchant, so he intended to finish these chores before doing anything else.

A week later, he had brewed all the potions. He could never have imagined working this efficiently before. It was probably because his Mental Power was far stronger than before, coupled with the fact that he no longer needed the Water Elemental Heart to supply mana.

That day, he went into the city to deliver the goods to the merchant. When George saw Allen arrive, he hurriedly pulled him over. "Allen, huge news! News you'd never expect. Take a guess!" Seeing George's radiant smile, Allen figured it must be good news, but he really had no idea what it was. Nor did he want to waste time guessing. "Just tell me what's happened. I still have to go to the Library in a bit."

Seeing how impatient he was, the merchant told him outright, "You! You're always holed up in the Library. You ought to learn more about what's happening outside. Did you know? The new member of the Council of Six, Dalaran's highest governing body, has been announced." Allen was startled by the news as well. "So soon? Didn't they say it would be next month?"

"And you won't believe me when I call you a shut-in. Would I lie to you about news like this? It was announced yesterday. Do you know why it happened so quickly?" Allen shook his head to indicate that he did not. "Our great Chief Archmage, Lord Antonidas, has advanced."

"What?" Allen was clearly shocked by this news. After all, a tenth-rank archmage had never appeared among Dalaran's human mages, yet Antonidas had now advanced. It truly was hard to believe.

George continued, "Actually, Chief Archmage Antonidas advanced long ago. I've never doubted Lord Antonidas's greatness. He's accomplished what no one else could. He's more gifted than anyone..." The merchant began heaping endless praise on Antonidas, practically a fanatical devotee. How had Allen never known that George was a fan of Antonidas?

Since Archmage Antonidas had advanced, the only possible candidate was Kel'Thuzad. No wonder Lord Pelaven had let him go so easily after that mission. He had known about this, and so had begun to have reservations.

Now, two archmages in the Kirin Tor belonged to Antonidas's faction. With Antonidas himself having become Dalaran's most powerful mage, there was probably no longer anyone who could stop him from dominating Dalaran.

Dalaran's politics had undergone an enormous change. Allen could roughly foresee two possible outcomes: first, the remaining four members of the Council of Six would band together and resist to the bitter end; second, the four would band together and compromise. From the look of things, they had chosen compromise. Of course, autocratic rule was not a bad thing for Allen. He was only an ordinary mage, after all, and had no standing to participate in such matters.

Seeing that Allen remained silent, George continued praising Antonidas to the skies. Only then did he notice that Allen's clothing was somewhat different today. "That Mage Robe is-is-is for a full mage! You've become a full mage! Heavens, Allen, you've actually become a full mage this quickly!" Allen was indeed wearing the clothes issued by the Association that day.

Allen watched George circle him excitedly, waving his arms as though he were the one who had become a full mage. "Allen, now I have a mage backing me too! Today must be my lucky day. It's absolutely perfect!" Allen really wanted to say that a single mage was nothing much. In fact, he did not know how greatly knowing a mage could improve an insignificant person's standing within their family. Especially since Allen also knew alchemy, which made him the equivalent of a walking fortune.

Once George calmed down, Allen handed over the goods and was about to leave when George suddenly said, "Allen, you're already a full mage. Do you have any plans for the future?" He shook his head. He did not know yet either. The only thing he wanted was to improve his strength as much as possible, but he still had no idea where to start. "Since you don't have any plans, why not consider our family? You know how much money being a mage burns through. Without the support of nobles, you'll find it hard to keep developing."

Allen had no desire to depend on any nobles, but he did not refuse outright. He merely said that he would think it over when he got back.

After returning to his lodgings, he thought it over carefully. George had been right about one thing: being a mage really did burn through money. Although he could now earn money through Healing Potions, it was still not enough.

Then he remembered what the mage had told him on the day of the test. Submitting the runes he had discovered by chance to Dalaran was indeed an option. After all, this was not a particularly powerful spell.

But he wanted to release it now. He planned to continue studying this rune, then create a series of spells before finally releasing them. It was like inventing something: if you did not invent its associated products as well, others would soon copy it.