Chapter 65: Three Apprentices
Chapter 65: Three Apprentices
Xie Man's joy was mirrored on the girl's face. She smiled and introduced herself, "I'm Athel Yule. What's your name?"
"Xie Man." Xie Man turned to look at the other boy.
The boy lifted his chin slightly and replied indifferently, "Corey MacKinnon."
Perhaps because of Xie Man's poor attire, Corey seemed to look down on him. After politely introducing himself, Corey ignored Xie Man.
On the other hand, Athel smiled warmly at Xie Man, showing no sign of condescension despite their different backgrounds.
She's a gentle girl, Xie Man thought to himself.
The testing finally concluded as the sky began to turn a faint yellow. The results surprised Xie Man. Only he, Athel, and Corey had passed.
Everyone else had been eliminated.
This made Xie Man feel a bit more confident about his abilities.
"Follow me."
The old man carefully wrapped the books in fine cloth and tucked them into his chest. He then turned and gestured for Xie Man and the others to follow.
Led by the old man, the three entered the inner city and arrived at the castle gates.
The old man seemed to hold a high position, as the guards saluted him respectfully upon seeing him.
Xie Man learned that the old man was named Geller, a steward in the castle.
The guard who had warned Xie Man earlier stared at him with wide eyes, clearly surprised that Xie Man had passed the test.
Xie Man smiled gratefully at him, thinking he should find a way to thank the guard later.
"Master Su Nan is a very kind person and never mistreats his servants. You don't need to be nervous when you meet him."
On the way, Old Geller tried to reassure the three, but it didn't seem to have much effect. They all looked tense.
Xie Man, in particular, felt a wave of nervousness. The person he was about to meet was a high-ranking figure, and it would be strange not to be nervous.
Even Athel and Corey, who had been repeatedly warned by their elders to show respect to Master Su Nan, were feeling anxious.
After passing through several courtyards and corridors, Old Geller finally led the three to a courtyard.
The spacious courtyard was empty except for a small cat lazing in the sun on a stone table in the center.
Athel's eyes lit up.
What a cute little cat!
Xie Man and Corey couldn't help but take a closer look as well.
But the next scene left them all stunned.
Old Geller walked up to the cat and bowed respectfully, saying, "Master Amy, these three are the new apprentices. I've brought them to meet Master Su Nan."
"Meow, Su Nan is meditating in the meditation room. He'll be done in about half an hour. You can wait here."
Amy licked her paw and curiously examined Xie Man and the others.
Xie Man and the others were left speechless and wide-eyed.
A talking cat?!
Is this a dream?
The three looked at Old Geller, who cleared his throat and whispered, "Master Amy is a friend of Master Su Nan's. Don't be impolite."
"Meow, come sit down. Don't just stand there like statues," Amy said, waving her paw at them.
The three exchanged glances and, with some hesitation, sat down at the stone table.
Old Geller placed the books and a scroll on the table, bowed to Amy, and left.
The courtyard was now left with three people and a cat.
"Meow, what are your names?"
Amy started the conversation, eagerly chatting with the three.
Xie Man was still in a daze, never having imagined he would be chatting with a cat.
Fortunately, Amy seemed friendly and asked about places to visit in Flash City and where to find delicious Ice Mint Slices.
Xie Man found it hard to join in, as he had no idea what Ice Mint Slices were.
Corey and Athel, however, were more knowledgeable and could answer many of the questions, making Xie Man feel both envious and inferior.
Half an hour passed quickly.
From the depths of the corridor, a creaking sound signaled the opening of a door.
"Meow, Master Su Nan is here."
Xie Man, Corey, and Athel immediately stood up reflexively, their expressions tense as they looked down the corridor.
A figure soon emerged from the corridor.
To their surprise, they had expected Master Su Nan to be a young man in his twenties or thirties, but the person who appeared looked even younger, seemingly not even twenty.
"Master Su Nan!"
The three didn't dare to look any longer and quickly bowed.
Su Nan nodded slightly and said nothing. He waved his hand, and the parchment on the stone table floated up and landed in his palm.
He unfolded it and his expression changed slightly.
Corey MacKinnon, son of a baron.
Athel Yule, daughter of a scholar.
Xie Man, foster son of a commoner.
The three of them represented the three social classes of Flash City, a rather coincidental mix.
After reclaiming Flash City, Koy had enfeoffed three barons. Besides Brad and Jodan, there was a knight named Stally MacKinnon, who was Corey's father.
The parchment also detailed the entire testing process.
The testing lasted seven days, during which over a thousand young men and women who met the age and literacy requirements participated. In the end, only three managed to pass the qualification test.
Su Nan wasn't surprised by the results.
Even during the golden age of wizards a thousand years ago, those with the potential to become wizards were a tiny fraction of the population, less than one in a thousand.
With the significant drop in energy particle concentration over the past thousand years, the number of people with wizard potential had only decreased further.
Finding three individuals with the potential in all of Flash City was, to be honest, more than Su Nan had expected.
He had originally thought finding even one would be a good outcome.
Of course, he couldn't be certain how far these three would ultimately progress.
Unless they showed sufficient value, he wouldn't waste too many resources on their cultivation.
With a wave of his hand, three thick books appeared on the stone table, leaving the three children staring in amazement.
"These are the Star Ring Meditation techniques. They are the key to becoming a wizard apprentice and what you will practice for the next while."
"From today on, you will live here. If you have any needs for food, clothing, or shelter, you can speak to the servants. As long as it's reasonable, they will provide you with whatever you need."
"Your only task is to focus on practicing the Star Ring Meditation. When you master it, I will take you as my students."
"Do you understand?"
Xie Man, Corey, and Athel, both surprised and delighted, responded in unison.
Being an apprentice and a student were two very different concepts, and they understood the distinction.
If they could become Master Su Nan's students, their futures would undoubtedly be much brighter.
Su Nan nodded in satisfaction and waved them off.
Cultivating suitable assistants to help maintain the base's facilities wasn't an easy task.
The primary requirement was that these individuals must be at least wizard apprentices.
Even a first-level wizard apprentice who hadn't successfully formed the first Star Ring would suffice.
Otherwise, without the ability to sense energy particles, many tasks would be impossible to carry out.
Wizards weren't known for their love of spreading knowledge.
Many wizards took on the arduous task of training apprentices either to build their own power base for resource gathering or to find a group of qualified assistants.
Su Nan wanted both.
He planned to start now and gradually cultivate the necessary personnel.
By the time the era of wizards arrived a thousand years later, he might have already established his own wizard faction.
The first step was the most crucial and the most challenging.
Su Nan was mentally prepared for this.
(End of Chapter)
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