Chapter 682: Even if it's just a dog, I'd still kick Lanchi. (Part 2)

Chapter 682: Even if it's just a dog, I'd still kick Lanchi. (Part 2)

"Tiffany Duke, I'd like to step away for a moment to chat with an acquaintance," Nigel requested, after a moment's thought.

"Go ahead," Tiffany Duke waved her fan casually, granting him permission.

Although Nigel was her Executor and bodyguard, she had many life-saving artifacts, and it wouldn't be easy for anyone to threaten her even if he wasn't by her side.

Nigel nodded and strode across the lengthy corridors to reach Christina's location on the right side of the Sky Lounge.

"Oh, you even have such a strong maid. I bet you could take two... no, three moves from me? As expected of a wealthy Count's family," Astros remarked, his hostility deepening as he shifted his gaze from Christina to Inoan.

South of the Cresia Empire, external pressures loomed, and it was unknown if they had spies within the Bosch Kingdom plotting something.

Additionally, there was a hidden hand behind the scenes holding the [Great Wizard Paloni's Curse of Resentment].

And for some unknown reason, the Church of Resurrection also seemed to be taking action within the Bosch Kingdom.

The first three were loosely allied forces, while the latter three were invariably evil antagonistic forces.

No one knew how much intelligence each force held under the seemingly calm waters, what purposes they had, and what processes they were promoting every hour, minute, and second.

Some unseen things might have already reached a critical point.

They were ready to explode at any moment.

Fortunately, the Batistes were just an old family that mainly managed agricultural products and wine businesses across the country, from the southern border of Bosch to the north. In the event of turmoil, their business would likely shrink, but it wouldn't go bankrupt.

Even so, Christina could only glimpse an iceberg of the current political situation in the Bosch Kingdom.

This Nigel Sergeant Major was probably the most protagonist-like breaker in the whole incident.

In that case, Rocky, who was close to the Executors, was a mysterious strong man surrounded by doubts and was likely a good man who could change the whole situation at a critical moment.

"Miss, will Parrie become very dangerous in the future?"

Inoan's voice interrupted Christina's thoughts, bringing her back to her senses. She turned her head and saw only the worry in Inoan's purple eyes beneath her red hair.

"Rest assured, unless the whole city of Parrie is on the brink of collapse, no one will be able to break into the Earl's mansion."

Christina patted Inoan's back and assured her confidently.

Their mansion also had an ancient barrier passed down from their ancestors.

As the two chatted, they noticed that the holographic magic screen hanging in the center of the Sky Lounge had already started a new candidate's magic engineering project discussion.

"Oh, it's Karen's turn."

Christina grabbed Inoan's wrist in surprise and gestured for her to look at the artificial shadow world.

There were betting tickets for who would pass the Platinum-level Card Maker exam this year.

Christina had wanted to bet a small amount, but Butler Rocky recommended that she bet solely on a newcomer named Tata.

She asked Rocky why he recommended such an inexperienced newcomer.

Rocky hesitated for a moment before answering that Tata was good-looking, leaving Christina speechless.

What good was being good-looking? Could it fill one's stomach or make all wishes come true?

Unexpectedly, Rocky turned out to be such a shallow man.

After thinking it over, Christina still bet three hundred pounds on Tata. After all, Rocky was a bit mysterious, and his recommendation might be accurate.

If Tata passed, Christina would receive a bonus of more than sixty times her bet, which would be enough to fire Rocky.

At this moment, in the artificial shadow world, the circular steps in the center of the hall spiraled upward to the main seat.

For this exam, the artificial shadow world simulated the third floor of the Colmton Library in the Evert Family of Parrie Art University.

This spacious discussion room was solemn and quiet, with thick, old oak floors lined with red carpets. The walls were lined with deep brown wooden bookshelves filled with books.

In the center of the room was a long, ancient bronze table over ten meters long, flanked by more than a dozen classic Bosch-style armchairs. Under the illumination of magic, the crystal chandelier on the ceiling sparkled, and the fireplace in the back was burning firewood.

Protected by the barrier, one could only hear the sound of quill pens scratching on parchment.

Six association assistant clerks sat focused at the end of the long table, either deep in thought or writing on their papers.

They remained silent unless the examiners needed their assistance and instructed them to respond.

"Alright, let's begin the exam. Mr. Vice Examiner, please discuss the eight randomly selected topics with the candidate."

The middle-aged man sitting in the main examiner's seat was about fifty years old.

His brown-black hair had a few strands of white, but he still exuded a scholarly and valiant aura. He wore a burgundy suit, and his eyes gazed at the long table through his half-moon glasses.

He was Britton Yizayinha, a Platinum-level Card Maker and a master of magic engineering from the Ayrolan Kingdom.

Today, he was responsible for evaluating each candidate's discussion and determining the average difficulty and passing score with the vice examiner after the discussions.

"Now it's your turn."

After speaking, Britton handed over the authority of the artificial shadow world to the vice examiner sitting next to him.

"So, Karen, are you ready? According to the randomly selected topic, we'll start with the first question about the development of a thermal power furnace."

In contrast, the young vice examiner exuded an entirely different air of mystery.

He looked to be in his early twenties, with a tall and slender build and a night-blue robe.

What was peculiar was that he wore a silver metal mask that completely concealed his features, revealing only a pair of indifferent blue eyes.

Even his eye color was probably disguised.

Nevertheless, his voice was gentle and captivating, like the flow of hot springs.

"No problem."

Karen nodded like a lady, sitting across from him.

"The first issue we need to discuss is how to achieve highly efficient magic conversion with minimal loss in a thermal power furnace system. Please demonstrate a solution from the techniques you master, and there are several basic construction modules here for your quick use."

The vice examiner clearly outlined the problem, and a three-dimensional magic mechanical device projection appeared in front of Karen.

Without hesitation, Karen raised her hands and began to reconstruct the magic mechanical device projection with her own magic.

"First, collect the free natural magic particles in the environment through magic sense coils and synchronize these particles in a regulated manner to form a highly efficient and highly ordered magic flow. Secondly, through a specially designed curvature focusing array, the magic flow is focused into an arched shape to significantly increase the energy density.

"Hmm..."

Inoan mumbled, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched Karen's confident demeanor during the exam.

"The arched focusing array you're using reminds me of the magic density concentration technique in the energy reservoir. How do you prevent the magic particles from generating too much heat noise when overloaded?"

The vice examiner inquired kindly, observing Karen's actual operation.

"My most specialized and self-developed swirling ion cooling technique is designed to address this very issue of heat noise."

As she spoke, the internal components were magnified through another perspective window, revealing several swirling vortices.

"By applying centrifugal force and introducing a specific magic field, the particle flow forms a spiral vortex, effectively separating the high-energy dense region from the low-heat dispersion region. Thus, when entering the next step of magic amplification, only the high-energy region's magic output will be enhanced."

Karen explained with ease.

Despite her affinity for wind over fire, even when it came to a fire-related problem, she could divert the topic to her area of expertise.

At this point, the vice examiner had barely any doubts left.

As he was less familiar with wind magic, he had a better understanding of fire magic.

"It's evident that you have unique insights in both theory and practical application. However, in the magic amplification process, simply amplifying magic without any heat loss goes against the principle that magic cannot be self-generated or self-destroyed. What are your thoughts on that?"

The vice examiner could only ask this question, having exhausted all other options.

"I've noticed this issue, so I designed a coupled wind-resonant cavity."

Karen raised her fingertip to indicate, and a spherical cavity gradually appeared. She then proceeded to explain to the vice examiner,

"The cavity is composed of dozens of magic fiber optic cables, which can exert a wind energy coupling effect on the flowing magic particles, thereby amplifying the magic. Moreover, the coupling process itself does not generate any new energy; it merely alters the energy level and vibration mode of the magic particles."

"......"

The main examiner, Britton, remained mostly silent throughout, listening attentively and grading. Occasionally, he would pick up his feather quill pen to make notes on his drawing board or manipulate the projection of a three-dimensional magic component floating in mid-air, examining it closely.

"Examiner, do you have any thoughts?"

As Karen finished speaking, she turned to the masked vice examiner and asked with a smile.

"I have no further questions."

The vice examiner replied.

"Then, may I ask your opinion on this: given such a high-density magic output, is there a risk of field instability, and how can I ensure the controllability and stability of the magic output?"

Karen sincerely sought his advice.

"......"

The vice examiner fell silent.

He truly had no idea.

"In my humble opinion, I have a hypothesis. This is probably the biggest challenge in this scenario. We strive for more than just quantitative values. Outside the cavity, I assume we can design a special magic polarization field that utilizes its unique heterogenous distribution properties to impose a lattice-like constraint on the magic output. Only when multiple factors such as the amplitude and frequency of magic reach a precise balance can a controllable 'exit' be opened at the interface between the constraint field and the counter-constraint field."

Karen seemed to sense the vice examiner's difficulty and came to his rescue, offering an explanation.

Main Examiner Britton nodded slightly in approval, seemingly adding some points to her score.

Outside the shadow world, in the Saint Silvervine Arena.

The audience's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

They realized that Karen seemed to have found a way to score points effortlessly.

This vice examiner seemed a bit out of his depth when it came to the topic of [Magic Engineering Principles].

Perhaps, during the discussions with the previous candidates, Karen had already identified this weakness.

Therefore, by steering the conversation into an area where the vice examiner lacked expertise, she could dominate the discussion and score points effortlessly.

Although the vice examiner appeared to be enduring it all, this strategy was highly effective for scoring!

Eventually, the vice examiner looked as if he could no longer bear to speak.

"Alright, the time limit for the first question has been reached, and the candidate's performance has been impeccable, demonstrating exceptional proficiency in magic transmission and transformation. Let's move on to the next question."

The vice examiner finally spoke up, initiating the next question.

This pattern continued throughout.

Karen calmly completed the [Magic Engineering Principles] exam.

Even without the immediate announcement of her score, one could guess that it would be exceptionally high.

In the Sky Lounge.

"If only we could befriend Karen. Regardless of whether she becomes a Platinum-level Card Maker this time, she's undoubtedly one of the most promising candidates among the Gold-level Card Makers."

Christina sighed, impressed by Karen's confident demeanor during the exam.

While it was unlikely for such a high-level Card Maker to sign a long-term contract with the family, making friends was definitely a good idea.

Once the war in the Southern Continent broke out, magic engineers would be in high demand in the military industry, and such high-level craftsmen would become even harder to come by.

"Why is this examiner so patient?"

Inoan asked, puzzled.

Even she could tell that Karen's choice of words appeared polite but made the vice examiner lose face.

However, the examiner couldn't reprimand her because she always maintained a humble demeanor, and scolding her would make the examiner seem like a bully.

A typical examiner would have lost their temper by now.

Yet, this examiner merely looked resigned.

"I guess the gentlemen from the Ayrolan Kingdom are known for their courteous manners."

Christina thought for a moment and replied,

"In the past two years, no one expected the Ayrolan Kingdom to produce a new Platinum-level Card Maker. Initially, we thought we would have to specially invite Mr. Paloni to help out."

She recalled that many of the magic engineering textbooks used in their Ayrolan Royal Academy were authored by Mr. Paloni.

"Then why didn't they invite Mr. Paloni? Why bother with this newly promoted Platinum-level Card Maker who might struggle to fulfill his duties and risk losing his Platinum-level qualification?"

Inoan inquired, perplexed, directing her question at Christina.

"Someone of Polaon's caliber... Even if he's willing to come, the Kingdom of Herton wouldn't agree. If something were to happen to him, no one in Bosen could afford to take that responsibility. However, I heard that this Platinum-level Card Maker examiner is personally recommended by Polaon himself."

Christina was quite knowledgeable about international affairs.

Once Polaon left the Herton Royal Capital, he might become a prime assassination target for the Cresia Empire.

But Polaon's true strength remained a mystery. According to most accounts, he was a pure magic engineer with little combat prowess. Yet, according to intelligence intercepted from the Cresia Empire's Special Intelligence Bureau several years ago, the elite agents sent to assassinate Polaon all vanished without a trace.

So, the spectators in the arena could understand why this Platinum-level Card Maker examiner chose to wear a mask, shrouding himself in mystery.

It was all for the protection of the magic engineer's safety.

But consequently, it also piqued people's curiosity about his true identity.

Christina knew that Tiffany Duke was likely aware of his true identity, but Tiffany Duke wouldn't reveal it to her, and she dared not approach Tiffany Duke to ask such a foolish question.

In the artificial shadow world, the examination process for the [Magic Engineering Principles] continued at a rapid pace.

In the following hours.

After Karen, the other examinees started emulating her, as if they had discovered a trick to earn points by grilling the examiner.

Only a small number of kind-hearted candidates refrained from doing so.

Even the audience gradually realized that this deputy examiner was truly incompetent, as everyone seemed to be able to stump him.

After all, there was an integrity monitoring system in place, and the examiners couldn't assist the candidates in cheating.

Karen was the most ruthless in her interrogation.

Her questions left the mysterious examiner drenched in sweat.

"Isn't this deputy examiner a joke?"

"Is he throwing in the towel?"

"He can't give up, but he does seem to be at the bottom of the Gold-level."

"What's the point of having him as the main examiner in the third round? Are they trying to be funny?"

The spectators, who had intended to leave after watching for a while, ended up staying longer than expected, as the examiner's performance was quite amusing.

How could each candidate take turns torturing him like this?

Although the mysterious examiner seemed harmless, he was quite amiable and polite to the other candidates as well.

The audience couldn't help but wonder, "Are you sure you want to keep grilling him like this? What if he fails all of you in the third round?"

Even a dog would get kicked today.

Passing the Platinum-level Card Maker examination required qualifying in all three rounds. However, in some cases, if a candidate didn't pass but achieved extremely high scores in certain subjects, they could still earn merit points.

Once the merit points in all six subjects reached a certain threshold, they could apply to the South Continent Card Maker Association.

If they met certain additional conditions, they might even become an application-based Platinum-level Card Maker.

Thus, the allure of merit points was significant.

Finally.

A new candidate stepped up.

A free Card Maker from the South Ventina Territory of the Herton Kingdom, a young woman with ash-gray hair and golden eyes.

In the simulated Parrie Art University's Evert Family's Colmton Library on the third floor, the deputy examiner looked utterly exhausted.

However, he still had to endure several more rounds of torture today.

"Those recommended candidates without a resume are either mediocre or monsters. For example, Migaya was one of them back then."

"This ash-haired young lady gives off the aura of a stern ice queen."

The audience in the arena couldn't help but sigh with pity.

"First, let's confirm the personal information according to the procedure."

The deputy examiner picked up the information sheet presented to him by the artificial shadow world and said to Talia, who was already seated at the table,

"Talia, a recommended candidate from the Herton Kingdom, unmarried, 25 years old."

By the end of his sentence, he seemed to be biting his lip behind the mask.

It was as if he found it so hilarious that all his fatigue from the afternoon was cured.

"..."

Talia lowered her head slightly.

If it weren't for the rules prohibiting the assault of examiners, Talia would have pinned Lanchi to the ground and beaten him up right then and there.

"What's wrong with this guy? Is he sick? After being tortured all afternoon, he still has the energy to joke around?"

Talia felt that she didn't understand Lanchi anymore.

Initially, she had considered comforting Lanchi after the exam and consoling him a bit. Now, she felt that she had overestimated her capacity for empathy.

"Miss Talia..."

The deputy examiner continued.

"..."

Her amber-gold eyes swept across the two examiners, and as he was about to say something, Talia's gaze swept over him again, silencing him.

"Let's begin the exam."

She prompted.

"Okay."

The deputy examiner straightened up in his seat.

This caused the main examiner, Britton, to glance at him.

Are you that intimidated by her? And you're the examiner; she's the candidate. What's with that reflex?

"The first question is about the foundational theory of spiritual magic. Please elaborate on this topic, starting from the core."

The deputy examiner cleared his throat and asked Talia.

"As we all know, the core of spiritual magic lies not only in the power of consciousness but also in the unity of the mind and soul..."

Talia began to explain.

Meanwhile, the deputy examiner remained silent, appearing to have given up.

It seemed that he had resigned himself to being exploited for points, and he wouldn't resist.

"The tripartite model of spiritual mana consists of consciousness, spirit, and soul. The spellcaster must achieve perfect unity among these three aspects to attain the ultimate coordination in spiritual magic."

At this point, she paused, lifting her eyes to look at the examiner sitting across from her.

"Mr. Examiner, regarding what I've mentioned so far, which aspects would you like me to elaborate on further?"

After saying this, she quietly waited for his response.

"..."

The deputy examiner's eyes widened in surprise.

He seemed caught off guard by her question.

Although it was a question from the candidate, she had completely handed the initiative over to him.

His puzzled gaze seemed to ask Talia, "Why are you giving me the opportunity to earn points? Why are you asking such a laborious question?"

"..."

Lanchi's gaze was questioning, but Talia responded with a playful smile of her own—

The more you wanted to make me angry, the less I would give you what you wanted and treat you like a tool.

She would rather lose some points than let Lanchi lose face.

This time, the deputy examiner remained silent longer than ever before.

"How about willpower? I'd like to hear your thoughts on that."

"This is neither pure psychology nor the realm of life energy..."

Tata spoke slowly, her confident demeanor never wavering as she kept her eyes fixed on Lanchi across from her.

And Lanchi listened attentively, nodding from time to time.

At that moment, the audience exchanged puzzled glances.

They all felt that this examinee named Tata was about to burst the examiner's gold coins.

Yet, she didn't.

She would rather waste her own scoring opportunities and patiently accommodate the examiner, making their conversation unusually relaxed.

To some extent, the audience couldn't tell if this was even an exam.

They just felt that the two of them were chatting very naturally, as if they were discussing magic engineering issues, and even the deputy examiner's lips curled up in a rare smile, as if he was thoroughly enjoying the conversation with her.

"They seem to have a good rapport."

"Actually, in terms of scoring efficiency, they shouldn't have any rapport at all."

"She's not getting anywhere with this. It's pointless to try to spare the examiner's feelings at the cost of losing her own points."

"Unless she's simply kind-hearted and doesn't want to put the examiner in a difficult position."

"But you have to admit that she's very strong. Even so, her score shouldn't be low."

The audience couldn't help but marvel at this seemingly calm and gentle yet intense discussion.

After a long while.

Talia finally finished her exam and exited through the examinee-only passageway of the void portal.

"Meow, Tata!"

A small black cat scampered over.

"I thought you'd give him a hard time."

The Cat Boss remarked.

After all, no one was better at tormenting Lanchi than her, and ever since Lanchi became a Card Maker, he had been under Tata's tutelage.

"..."

Talia picked up the cat and didn't say anything.

"Where's Lanchi? Didn't he even come with you today?"

As soon as she took a step towards the rest area, Talia saw Karen sitting not far away in the audience seats, waving at her cheerfully, as if greeting a friend.

"..."

Talia didn't want to pay any attention to that woman, merely glancing at her before continuing on her way.

"Looks like you don't want to win, Miss Tata."

Karen shrugged.

Initially, she was quite surprised by Tata's strength.

But after witnessing her examination style, Karen breathed a sigh of relief.

Just in the first round, she had already scored much higher than Tata.

"Talk after I win the second and third rounds."

Tata turned back and said to Karen.

"Don't forget... the third round still has this examiner, right? He's so adorable that I can't help but bully him some more, hehe."

Karen seemed to be enjoying the feeling of tormenting the examiner.

As someone who could even trample a Platinum-level Card Maker underfoot, she was indeed the true genius who should become a Platinum-level Card Maker.

"Who are you to bully him?"

A chilly glint flashed in Tata's golden eyes as she glared at Karen.

Just for that one sentence, Tata would later pick out a men's swimsuit for Karen.

"What's up? Is this examiner yours? Are you sticking up for him now?"

Karen narrowed her eyes, smiling as she asked.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your expression when you understand everything."

Without another word to Karen, Tata continued on her way.

...

As the arena gradually began to dim, the first round of the day's exams finally came to a close, leaving only the staff to wrap up the final tasks.

In the artificial shadow world's discussion room.

"Not bad."

Main Examiner Britton Yizayinha was tallying up the scores.

This year's examinees had performed quite well.

But Britton had felt that something was amiss earlier in the examination.

After the actual assessment, he realized that the deputy examiner's strength was indeed too low.

Currently, the highest score among the examinees was 82, while the lowest was 35.

But how could the deputy examiner only score 31?

Britton had tried his best to give Lanchi extra points, really wanting to boost his score a bit higher. However, he couldn't justify giving him a higher score against his better judgment.

In the end, Britton had no choice but to use his authority to adjust the passing score to 41.

Even so, this passing score set a new record low, and it would undoubtedly trigger a review from the South Continent Card Maker Association headquarters in the Western Hub Zone. It was likely that external reviewers would be brought in to observe the third round of examinations and monitor the entire process.

Britton looked at Lanchi, who was still sitting nearby, with a complex expression.

Although he had heard that this Platinum-level Card Maker was completely different from Migaya, he had his doubts.

Migaya was a versatile warrior, while this guy was a compass warrior.

Rumor had it that he specialized in artistry.

So, in the final exam, according to the association's data records, Lanchi's artistry was slightly better than that of Rosalind, Countess of Evert. As a result, he was the main examiner, and Rosalind was the deputy.

But after witnessing his performance in the Magic Engineering Principles exam, he looked like a fake and inferior Platinum-level Card Maker! His magic engineering skills might even be considered poor among Gold-level Card Makers.

Overall, his abilities as a Platinum-level Card Maker were quite unique. If he continued to perform like this in the third round and got kicked by everyone, it would be a real problem.

Britton recalled that there was a Platinum-level Card Maker at headquarters who harbored a deep grudge against Migaya. If that person were to review Lanchi's performance and, because of their shared association with the Herton Kingdom and their status as geniuses, he might cause trouble for Lanchi.

"..."

Britton pinched the bridge of his nose.

In any case, everything would proceed according to the regulations of the South Continent Card Maker Association. He didn't want to get involved in the ensuing fallout.

—

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end