"The Rhine Clan's bloodline doesn't seem to be anything to mess with."
Jason watched as a tube of blood was roughly drawn from the crook of his arm. Thinking of the tester's attitude and the castle's name, Blood Blade Castle, he had reason to believe that the Rhine Clan's ancestor was a magical beast fond of killing.
The blood test results were not announced immediately. Instead, the samples were labeled with their names and taken away. Jason and the others were led to another room.
It was a spacious hall with a circular platform in the center, carved with intricate runes and inlaid with glittering magic crystals.
"Next is the magic affinity test. Stand on the platform, calm yourself, and wait for the results."
Yunika was first again.
A cyan magic crystal and a blood-red one lit up.
"High Destruction affinity, superlative Wind affinity! Excellent!" the mage said calmly.
(My view of the original work is that since Necromancy, Life Magic, and Fate Law have been passed down for so long, there must be corresponding ways to test for them. Linley simply never encountered them back then. If you really can't accept that, just consider it my own take in this fanfic. I want to focus on Necromancy, so I won't change this part.)
Jason was a little surprised. They can actually test for Destruction affinity! And Yunika's aptitude is pretty good.
He looked at the mage beside the platform, who seemed perfectly calm. Yunika's outstanding talent had not changed the mage's expression.
It looks like the Rhine Clan really does have a bloodline inheritance and isn't short of a genius or two, Jason thought as he stepped onto the platform. As for being able to test affinity for the Four Edicts, that's normal enough for a great clan with a long history.
He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and waited for the results.
"Huh? Is there something wrong with the testing platform?" The mage beside him sounded surprised. "We just checked it yesterday. Get down for now."
Jason looked around the platform. Six colors of magic crystal were glowing: purple, blue, green, gold, gray, and blood-red!
Several mages stepped onto the platform and carefully checked the runes and magic crystals.
"Get back on."
Jason obediently stepped down from the platform, then climbed back up.
The result was the same.
"Superlative Death and Lightning Element, high Fate and Water Element, and intermediate Destruction and Life. How can one person have so many affinities?" The mages looked at one another.
"Take him for a separate examination first. We'll continue testing the other children," a higher-ranking mage instructed someone nearby.
The person beckoned to Jason. Jason glanced at Prince Vittorio, and when he saw the prince nod in agreement, he obediently followed the person out of the hall.
Jason sat cross-legged on a straw mat as instructed, watching the mage in front of him prepare something.
"Six affinities?" Jason had been a little dazed at first, but after thinking it over, he understood. My soul transmigrated here, and I must have absorbed the original owner's soul in the process. So that test measured two people's affinities at once.
It's common for someone on the Yulan Continent to have two or three affinities, though their levels differ. The six affinities I'm showing now must be the result of two souls combining.
At that moment, the younger-looking mage finished preparing a potion and came over to Jason.
"The best way to test affinity is to meditate directly and sense the elements around you," the mage said. "You have too many affinities-six of them-so we need to confirm them. Meditation normally takes time, but this potion of mine can quickly put you into a meditative state."
"This potion is quite valuable out there. Consider it a little preferential treatment for a junior. If you really do have six affinities, you're worthy of this potion."
Jason took the potion and looked up. "Senior, how will you determine what affinities I have after I drink it?"
"This potion can gather magic power quickly. After you drink it, close your eyes and calm your mind. I can tell from how the magic power gathers around you."
Jason nodded and drained the potion in one gulp.
The potion worked well. Not long after Jason closed his eyes, his mind went blank. This had to be deep meditation.
Purple and blue points of light gradually gathered in Jason's consciousness, filling his entire perception.
After an unknown amount of time, Jason slowly woke.
The mage was fiddling with an instrument.
Without disturbing the mage, Jason recalled what he had just seen. Blue and purple-that would be water and lightning elements, right? Could the test have been wrong, and I only have two affinities?
"Oh, you're awake." The mage turned around. "I've confirmed it. The test was right: six affinities. As for their levels, I could only tell that Death and Lightning Element were the strongest, while Destruction and Life were weaker."
It seemed testing affinity through meditation had certain drawbacks.
"I could only sense purple and blue points of light just now," Jason said.
"Oh? It seems you've learned about meditation. The Four Edicts are different from Elemental Magic. You can only sense them once you've truly crossed the threshold into cultivation. I used this instrument to test for them." The mage waved the magical instrument in hand.
"All right, the others outside should be nearly done with their tests. Come out with me."
As soon as Jason stepped outside, he saw a large group of children waiting off to one side. Only two or three children were still waiting to be tested.
Jason walked over to the crowd, and people immediately gathered around to ask him questions. A glare from Prince Vittorio silenced them again.
The mage who had accompanied Jason walked up to the elderly mage in charge and said something, then showed him the magical instrument.
When the elderly mage looked over, Jason immediately straightened up.
In the end, the elderly mage said nothing, merely nodding to show he understood.
After the tests were complete, Jason and the others returned to their carriages and headed for the royal capital through the night.
"They didn't announce the bloodline test results?" Jason ventured to ask Yunika beside him.
"No. I was wondering what a bloodline was, too." Yunika looked equally puzzled. At her age, she still didn't know what "bloodline" meant. "They just tested our magic affinity, so is the bloodline test a way to measure warrior talent?"
All right, but Jason had a question. "They didn't test our spiritual power!"
Although he was confident in the spiritual power he had from living two lives, he still felt it would be better to test it.
Does the Rhine Clan not care whether its descendants become warriors or mages? That makes sense. Warriors and mages both end up on the path of comprehending profound truths. No matter how strong my spiritual power is, I'd still choose the warrior's path first. At worst, I can raise my spiritual power after reaching the Saint level.
"Brother Jason." The petite and adorable Lucy leaned over. "You were taken away for a separate test just now. Do you really have six affinities?"
Jason nodded. "Six, but none of my affinities are very high. According to that senior, only my Lightning Element affinity is superlative. The rest are intermediate."
The mage had said the meditation test couldn't determine affinity levels anyway, so Jason didn't mind making himself a little less conspicuous.
"I see, but six affinities are still a bit too amazing. I only have Dark and Death affinities." Lucy's rosy little lips puckered.
In Jason's eyes, this younger sister of his was definitely an expert at acting cute. But it didn't matter. He had no desire to compete for the throne, and there was no conflict of interest between them, so he didn't mind being a good older brother.
Yunika said, "Lucy's Dark and Death affinities are both superlative! She's very talented. Even the mage praised her during the test earlier."
Like Jason, Yunika had no interest in the throne. She wanted to be a good older sister too.
Death affinity—could Lucy have the talent to become a necromancer? Jason knew about necromancers. Below the Deity level, a necromancer's undead army was an enormous advantage. Even after reaching Deity-level, the Soul Gold Beads and soul poisons they refined, as well as their control through Soul Seeds, were all extremely powerful abilities.
"Necromancers sound disgusting. I don't want to learn that. Besides, it seems Necromancy isn't something you can learn just because you want to," Lucy said.
"That's true. Jason seems to have a talent for Death too," Yunika said with a nod.
Jason inwardly agreed. In the original work, necromancers were extremely rare. Even the Radiant Church had paid a great price to capture a ninth-rank necromancer, only for Linley to snatch him away.