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Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: Talent

Only now did Locke realize that besides them, there were many other Wizard Seedlings on the deck of the Wizard Ship—dozens of them.

Since the deck of the Wizard Ship was extremely spacious, even with dozens of people standing there, it didn't feel crowded.

Almost every one of them possessed formidable mental strength, and many even had far deeper Mana reserves than his own.

Locke steadied his mind. It made sense—his third-class talent was considered decent on Corfu Island, but on this Wizard Ship from the southeastern corner of the domain, it was utterly ordinary.

This ship must carry many Wizard Seedlings with fourth or fifth-class Wizard Talent, and perhaps even sixth or seventh-class ones.

One of the three wizards from the ship held the files of Locke's group. After briefly flipping through them, he said, "I am the wizard instructor responsible for managing your life aboard the ship. Until you are assigned to your respective academies and disembark, you will follow my orders."

"Now, I will test your Mana and inspect your Spells."

"First, Locke Augustine, begin by using your Spell to attack the Amethyst Matrix in my hand with full force."

"First, let me confirm—Locke Augustine, you are sixteen years old, correct?"

Locke nodded. "Yes, Instructor."

He pinched a wildflower with his left hand, then softly recited an incantation. The flower in his hand instantly withered.

Meanwhile, from beneath the sleeve of his right hand, five tendrils of Mandala Grass emerged, stretching like the fingers of a hand to envelop the Amethyst Matrix, causing ripples to form on its surface.

Inside the Amethyst Matrix, two numbers appeared—[18, 0.2].

The wizard instructor conducting the test announced, "Mental strength: 18. Power of Vine Hand: 0.2 rings."

"Training duration: two years. Wizard Talent: third-class. Primary elemental affinity: Wood Element. Secondary elemental affinity: Gold Element. Alright, next."

Locke looked at the Amethyst Matrix. So this was the tool Dean Tungus had mentioned—the one used to measure precise Mana values.

His current mental strength was 18.

According to Dean Tungus, the minimum mental strength for a third-class wizard apprentice was 10. His current level of 18 was likely due to having mastered two Cantrips.

Next, it was Patty's turn. She cast Scorching Spark at the Amethyst Matrix.

As a wave of flames surged, the Amethyst Matrix within the fire displayed two numbers—[10, 0.1].

This meant Patty's Mana was 10, and the ring-level of her Scorching Spark was only 0.1.

Patty stepped aside, her expression somewhat troubled. Locke comforted her, "It's alright, Patty. I think your Spell's power is probably higher than 0.1 rings—just not quite reaching the energy level of 0.2 rings."

A faint smile appeared on Patty's face. "I think so too."

"Thank you, Locke."

Finally, it was Code's turn. Since he hadn't learned any Spells, the wizard instructors simply had him place his palm on the Amethyst Matrix and channel his Mana into it. In the end, a single number appeared inside the matrix—[7].

Code's face turned pale. He had always believed he was very close to casting his first Spell, but the minimum spiritual power required to perform a Cantrip was 10.

His current spiritual power was only 7.

This meant that, in reality, he was still quite far from being able to use his first Spell.

The Wizard mentor announced, "Code, 15 years old, Wizard Talent Level 1, primary elemental affinity with water, secondary affinity with wind."

"The testing is complete."

"The rooms on the Wizard Ship are divided into seven types, categorized by Wizard Talent levels. Wizard Seedlings with Level 1 talent can only reside on the lowest deck of the ship. Those with Level 3 or below are restricted to cabins beneath the main deck."

"Only Wizard Seedlings with Level 4 or higher talent may occupy rooms above the main deck."

"I will explain this only once. You may now find your corresponding living quarters based on your Wizard Talent."

"Additionally, I'll remind you just this once—the endless mystic sea is extremely dangerous. Do not wander around unless necessary."

Locke glanced at Patty and Code in surprise. Due to Dean Tungus's influence, he had originally planned to stay in nearby cabins with them.

Who would have thought that on the Wizard Ship, dormitories were stratified by different Wizard Talent levels?

In other words, from the moment they boarded, the hierarchical framework of the Wizard World had already divided people into different categories, each receiving different treatment.

Code sighed regretfully. "Mentors, can't we stay together? We're friends and came from the same continent."

At that moment, the three Wizard mentors on the ship didn't even bother acknowledging Code's words—they simply turned and walked away.

The three mentors continued murmuring among themselves.

One mentor whispered to the lead mentor, "Jarvis, wasn't that first child using vine hand, the Spell you specialize in?"

"But why did he use Mandala Vine? That vine was phased out decades ago and replaced by Tiff Loron Vine."

"Vine hand should have follow-up advanced Spells, but he used Mandala Vine. He'll probably have to unlearn it later and start over."

Jarvis gave him a glance but said nothing.

The third Wizard mentor on the ship scoffed. "Wizard Seedlings from backwater regions are all like this—their Spells are decades behind the times. He's from Corfu Island, isn't he...?"

"In that place, even Wizards have become mere legends among mortals."

"Their Faith of the Seven Gods was likely spread by some Formal Wizards from the southeastern territories."

"Mortals who believe in this fabricated faith have their souls marked. After death, their souls fly directly into the Soul Prisons created by those Formal Wizards, becoming experimental materials."

"Such is the power of a Formal Wizard. Will I ever get the chance to become one in this lifetime?"

Jarvis looked at him disdainfully. "Dali, you talk too much. With your Level 4 Wizard Talent, do you really think you'll ever become a Formal Wizard?"

"You've come this far, which is no small feat."

"Don't be too greedy in life."

"You!" Dali glared angrily at Jarvis, but then he remembered that Jarvis was a First Class Wizard Apprentice from the School of Life Magic's Botanical Student track at Four Seasons Garden. Rumor had it his Mana was already approaching that of a Formal Wizard, his magical attainments were exceptionally high, and his Wizard Talent had reached a full level 6.

Dali forcibly suppressed his rage, fearing that a moment of foolishness might lead to making an enemy of a First Class Wizard Apprentice who was certain to become a Formal Wizard in the future.

Meanwhile, Locke overheard the conversation between the wizard instructors and learned that the vine hand Spell in the southeastern corner had now been replaced with magic vines seeds.

But it didn't matter. Locke calmed himself and gazed at the spectacle of the world on the Wizard Ship's deck.

One step at a time.

In the future, he could find a way to replace them with higher-grade magic vines—and he might not even need to replace them at all.

After all, he had the Horadric Synthetic Cube. He could forcibly enhance the quality of the Mandala Vine through synthesis.

Locke and the others bid farewell on the Wizard Ship's deck and then headed toward rooms on different levels according to their Wizard Talent grades.

Code could only descend via the deck's staircase, passing through a pitch-black corridor all the way to the lowest level, where he stayed in a damp, gloomy room at the very bottom.

Patty, on the other hand, stayed on the second-lowest level.

Though Locke couldn't stay above the deck, his talent was level 3, so he was assigned a room on the level closest to the deck.

These rooms, though still below the deck, had windows on both sides that let in some sunlight. They were less damp, and mold wasn't as much of a problem.

At the moment, most of the rooms on this level were still empty, so Locke casually picked one and settled in.

The room was oval-shaped, as if he were living inside a wine barrel.

This might have been to save space or to accommodate the ship's hull structure.

On the left wooden wall was a glass porthole, through which he could see the stormy sea and the overcast sky outside the cabin.

The wooden plank bed was placed atop a ring of wooden barrels, but the blankets, bedding, and pillows were all very clean.

The materials were soft, high-quality fabric, and the blankets and pillows seemed to be stuffed with cotton and goose down.

Surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.

Locke had just sat down on the bed, intending to rest for a while. After all, the Wizard Ship still had many islands to visit, picking up and dropping off Wizard Seedlings. It would be a long time before they disembarked.

So, he could afford to relax here for a while.

But he hadn't been sitting on the bed for long when he heard an argument in the hallway outside.

"Why can't I, a third-class wizard apprentice, stay on this level? I'm already a third-class wizard apprentice, and my mental power is a full 14—far exceeding the threshold for third-class wizard apprentices!"

"Those people in the lowest cabins are basically all ordinary folks. I'm not like them. I deserve to stay on this level!"

(End of Chapter)

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