The Wizard's Secret Journey

Chapter 97: Second Class Perfection and Striving for the First Place (11)

In the softly lit meditation room, calming scented candles burn slowly, emitting a scent similar to a mixture of citrus and lavender.

Lynn sat cross-legged on the cushion, his eyes gently closed, his breathing steady and deep.

The magical energy all around surged invisibly, and under the influence of the meditation rune, it flowed into the spirit, making it grow stronger little by little.

After a long time, Lin En ended his meditation and opened his eyes. A glimmer of light seemed to flash in his light gray pupils.

As usual, he looked at himself, and the light curtain slowly condensed.

Lynn let out a breath and smiled.

'I am only two points away from reaching perfection as a second-class apprentice.

"The further we go, the slower the progress. It will probably take two or three days to make two points."

Now, half a month has passed since I joined the Guard.

After careful consideration that day, Lynn decided not to tell Leah about the subsequent blackmail.

The patrols thereafter were peaceful, and the witchcraft crystal shop was open as usual, doing good business.

Standing up, Lynn checked the time.

It was already 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and in another 6 hours, we would have to go out on patrol again.

Half a month has passed and the patrol time has been rotated. Now the Sixth Team is responsible for the day, while they are responsible for the night.

After discussing with Kaili and his companions, they decided that they would be responsible for the first half of the patrol, while Kaili and his companions would be responsible for the second half.

When they reached the first floor, Adeline handed Lynn a notice from the school.

"The notice was delivered just now at 2 o'clock."

Lynn nodded, unfolded the notice and checked it.

The first line of the notice made him stunned for a moment.

"Notice on the reform of the wizard apprenticeship system of the Horsens School."

This reform regulation that I heard from Lucas a long time ago was finally officially released.

As Lucas said, the school does have clear levels among its apprentices.

But there is not only a distinction between ordinary apprentices and elite apprentices.

Instead, it is divided into 3 major categories and 5 minor levels.

The corresponding apprentice to the elite apprentice should be the Golden Thorn Apprentice, and the corresponding apprentice to the ordinary apprentice should be the Silver Thorn Apprentice.

Below these two, there is also an apprentice named Bronze Thorn. Judging from the treatment he receives in all aspects, he should be an apprentice who specializes in handling miscellaneous matters for the school.

There is no magic energy supply benefit in their treatment, and the contribution points they can obtain are relatively small, but the magic stones they can obtain are slightly more.

The reason why there are five small levels is that some of the top wizard apprentices among the Golden Thorn apprentices and Silver Thorn apprentices are also called Golden Thorn and Silver Thorn respectively.

This is not just an honorary title, there is also a substantial difference in treatment.

In addition, except for the Bronze Thorn apprentices, there is an elimination and promotion mechanism between the Silver Thorn and Gold Thorn apprentices.

That is to say, Golden Thorn may be eliminated and become Silver Thorn, and Silver Thorn may also be promoted to Golden Thorn.

Compared with the previous situation where all apprentices had no distinction in status, this time the reform of the school can be said to be significant.

Moreover, there is a gap in the treatment of apprentices of different levels.

'In terms of the most critical magic energy concentration, the magic energy vein concentration standard that ordinary Silverthorn apprentices can enjoy is one small level higher than their own.

'The top Silver Thorn apprentice can only obtain a magic power concentration that exceeds his own by two small levels...

'The lowest concentration of magic power that a Goldenthorn apprentice can enjoy is one major level higher than his own.

'The top Golden Thorn can enjoy a magical energy concentration that is 4 levels higher than its own!'

Lynn frowned deeply.

The concentration of magical energy he now possesses is of the middle level of the first order, surpassing his own by one major level, or three small levels.

But if he is classified as an ordinary Silverthorn apprentice according to the new regulations, the concentration of magic energy he can enjoy will drop sharply to level 0 upper.

Lin En continued to look down, carefully checking the criteria for judging the Golden Thorn apprentices and the Silver Thorn apprentices.

The specific judgment rules took up two pages and were very complicated, with different requirements for wizard apprentices of different levels.

But in general, the most important criteria for judgment are still age and advancement speed.

'Generally speaking, for a second-class apprentice, if he is a wizard apprentice trained by the school since childhood, is under 10 years old, and the time it takes for him to advance from a mortal to a third-class wizard apprentice is no more than 5 years, he can automatically become a Goldenthorn apprentice after passing the review.

'If you are over 10 years old and under 15 years old, you need to meet some additional testing conditions.

'In principle, people over 15 years old cannot become Goldenthorn apprentices, except in some rare cases.'

'For apprentices joining from outside the school, the age requirement will be reduced by one year, and they will also need to pass some additional assessments.'

Such standards are extremely strict.

Lin En is already 17 years old this year and obviously cannot meet such standards.

He continued to look down.

'For first-class wizard apprentices, if they are from a school and are under 15 years old, they can become Goldenthorn apprentices. For outside apprentices, the age is also reduced by 1 year.

'If you are over 15 and under 35, you need to meet some additional testing conditions.'

If the extraordinary pass is the first pass on the wizard's road, then promotion to a first-class wizard apprentice is the second pass.

So it is obvious that the Goldenthorn apprentices have relaxed the age requirement for first-class wizard apprentices.

Seeing this, Lin En breathed a sigh of relief.

The apprenticeship system will be implemented gradually over the next period of time, with the final deadline being one month from now.

As long as he could be promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice as soon as possible, he would have a chance to become a Goldenthorn apprentice as soon as possible.

After that, the school will re-organize the assessment every three months.

This means that if he misses it this time, he will have to wait another three months.

Thinking of this, Lin En couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.

Don't think that he is only two points away from becoming a perfect second-class wizard apprentice.

But it is not so easy to advance to a first-class wizard apprentice.

Just as Lucas said at the beginning, when advancing, it is best to find a formal wizard to protect you and take the insensitivity potion at the same time, which is the safest.

The reason behind this is mainly because at this stage, the fog that shrouds the wizard apprentice's spirit will completely dissipate, and will be replaced by the aura of knowledge.

The so-called mental fog refers to a layer of pale white fog that covers the mind of mortals from a super-sensory perspective.

This layer of fog protects the minds of mortals, making it difficult for them to be polluted by the outside world, thus maintaining mental stability.

Some mortals suddenly go crazy or their mentalities mutate, and the reason behind this is mostly because their mental fog is damaged.

But this fog is both a shelter and an obstacle.

It will affect the efficiency of the wizard's meditation and also limit the growth of the spirit.

Therefore, if one wants to be promoted to a first-class wizard apprentice, one must dispel the mental fog, and in order to protect the fragile spirit, one must also form a knowledge aura.

Either of these two points is extremely difficult.

However, the most dangerous moment in the advancement process is the window period between when the mental fog dissipates and the aura of knowledge has not yet formed.

During this time, the wizard apprentice's spirit will be exposed to the outside world without protection and is extremely vulnerable to harm and pollution.

The protection of formal wizards and the insensitivity potion are the best ways to safely get through this difficult time.

After being promoted to a formal wizard, the former will have supersensory vision, which allows them to detect in advance things that may have an impact on the mind and eliminate them.

The latter can prevent wizard apprentices from entering supersensory fields, thus preventing their minds from being polluted.

It is said that when the potion of insensitivity had not yet been invented, the mortality rate of first-class wizard apprentices was as high as 30%, and at least half of the remaining successful wizard apprentices had their mental health affected to varying degrees.

'I don't know how many contribution points are needed to redeem the promotion course.

'But I was busy with cultivation and never accepted any extra missions. I only have 65 contribution points now, 50 of which came from transportation missions and 15 were the contribution points issued by the security team this month.

"If you want to redeem the promotion course, I think you still need a lot."

Lynn put the notice aside in her mind, thought about it, and went out to visit Lucas.

……

"Have you received the school's notice, Lin?" Lucas took Lin to sit in the reception room with a look of regret on his face.
“What a pity, what a pity… I am 37 years old this year, just two years past 35, so I cannot become Goldthorn’s apprentice.

"These ten years down the mountain have been a waste of time! If I could have returned to the academy earlier and received guidance from my mentor earlier... What a pity!" Lucas sighed, looked at Lin En again, and said with a little sympathy,

"If I remember correctly, you are 17 years old this year, which is exactly two years older than the required age. This is exactly the same as me."

"It's a pity indeed." Lin En echoed and stated his purpose.

"Sir Lucas, I came here this time to consult you about the details of Instructor Chris's promotion course."

"Promotion course? Isn't it too early for you to learn about this now..."

Lucas spoke subconsciously at first, but when he saw Lin's calm expression, his words suddenly stopped, and he asked with some surprise,

"Could it be that your mental strength has reached the standard for promotion to a first-class apprentice?"

"It should be." Lynn nodded slowly.

Lucas was stunned for a moment, with a wry smile on his face:

"You are truly... gifted. It seems that being eliminated from the school was just an accident."

He paused and asked, "What do you want to know about the promotion course?"

"I want to know how much tutor Chris charges?"

"For me it's 500 contribution points, but for you it should only be 300 contribution points - second-class wizard apprentices under 20 years old can enjoy a 6% discount when exchanging, and those between 20 and 30 years old can enjoy an 8% discount."

300 contribution points...this is not a small number.

If calculated based on the previous transportation tasks, Lin En would need to work for a full 12 months to earn 300 contribution points.

'It seems that I won't be able to earn enough contribution points in such a short period of time. I can only take on more tasks during this period and wait for the subsequent assessments every three months.'

Lin En sighed inwardly and remained silent.

He expected that this course, which included the potion of insensitivity and had formal wizard protection, would not be cheap, but he still didn't expect it to be so expensive.

Lucas looked at the young Lin En and said with a little envy:
"If you can become Goldthorn's apprentice this time, you will have the opportunity to go to Silver Ring College for further studies in two months."

"Studying at Yinhuan College?" Lin En raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Yes, from now on, Golden Thorn apprentices will go to Silver Ring College for further studies for 6 months every year." Lucas continued to answer, with a look of longing and envy on his face.
“The place where the Silver Ring Academy is located is much more prosperous than the Horsens Wizard Territory!

“It is said that there are tall buildings reaching into the sky, various strange witchcraft creations, and even world invasion fortresses can often be seen!
"Students at Silver Ring Academy not only enjoy extremely high treatment and are wealthy, but they can also go on adventures to other worlds, harvest all kinds of rare treasures, and see countless magnificent scenery..."

Lin En was also somewhat fascinated by the scene he described. He took a breath and suddenly asked:
"Mr. Lucas, do you know of any method that can earn a large number of school contribution points in a short period of time?"

Be quick with every step, and dare to be the first to gain the upper hand in the inevitable chaos!
"Earn a large amount of school contribution points in a short period of time?" Lucas smiled bitterly, "If there was such a method, I wouldn't have advanced to the first-class apprentice a while ago.

“The reason why I earned contribution points quickly was because there were a lot of missions during that period. I grabbed some dangerous missions with high contributions, and I barely saved enough contribution points after experiencing several life-and-death experiences.

"But now, the construction of Cuiying Avenue has come to an end, and the number of tasks is not as much as before... It is not easy to earn a large number of contribution points in a short period of time."

What Lucas said was indeed true. After Lynn learned some more detailed information, he said goodbye and left.

……

While patrolling at night, Leah also mentioned the reform of the apprenticeship system.

"Mr. Lin En, have you heard that the apprentices will be divided into Golden Thorn, Silver Thorn, and Bronze Thorn in the future?"

“Yes, I saw the school’s notice today.” Lin En replied.

"Sir Lin, do you want to become Golden Thorn's apprentice?" Leah asked curiously.

"Of course I do." Lynn answered frankly without any hesitation.

Leah nodded, but her expression showed a rare sense of confusion and melancholy.

"What about you, Leah, do you want to become Goldthorn's apprentice?"

Leah thought for a moment and shook her head:

"……I have no idea."

Lin En nodded. Leah was only 14 years old this year. As a second-class apprentice, she should have the opportunity to become Golden Thorn's apprentice.

But from what she expressed in her words, Leia didn't seem to have any big ideas about becoming Goldenthorn's apprentice.

"Why does Lord Lin want to become Golden Thorn's apprentice?" Leah asked again.

“Because I want to have enough power to do what I want to do and go where I want to go.”

Lynn answered calmly without preaching, after all, everyone has their own ideas.

Compared to becoming an apprentice of Goldenthorn, Leah seems to be more interested in security patrols, and she is very punctual every day...

"Public security patrols... Wait, if I want to earn contribution points, maybe I can start from this aspect!" Lin En suddenly thought.

In addition to the fixed monthly contribution point income, if the security wizard successfully handles some cases, he can also earn a certain amount of contribution point income depending on the difficulty.

And the case...

Lin En, who was on patrol, paused for a moment and looked at the witchcraft crystal shop which was still open next to him, with a slight movement in his heart.

After discovering the Sokol Society that day, Lynn later inquired about the school's attitude toward these societies.

The final outcome is still unclear.

After all, the associations in Cuilin City have only appeared in recent months, and the Public Security Department has no precedent for dealing with them.

However, according to regulations, extortion like before, or any act of collecting protection fees, is expressly prohibited.

As before, all properties in the entire Horsham Wizarding Territory need to pay rent to the school.

Now that associations like Jinying no longer exist, all rent or management fees are paid directly to the school.

In principle, if you open a store in Cuilin City, you only need to pay this rent in addition to the relevant taxes.

In the long run, the acts of forming associations to extort money or collecting protection fees are actually damaging the interests of the school.

Therefore, the school has a clear ban on such behavior.

Lynn was in deep thought, not in a hurry.

According to his investigation, the strongest wizards in the Sokol Society were just a few first-class wizard apprentices. Since he was in the security team, he didn't need to be afraid of anything.

But after all, he was only a second-class wizard apprentice, and those first-class wizard apprentices were not easy to mess with.

Therefore, he still needs to take a long-term view and investigate the specific situation of the Sokol Society.

……

It was three o'clock in the morning, and it was time for the patrol shift to change.

Kelly and Theodore greeted Lynn and Leah with a smile, watched them leave, and then quietly came to an alley together.

It was late at night and the streets were sparsely populated.

In the dim alley, Kaili greeted the man in front of him.

After a brief greeting, the man asked Kaili in a deep voice:

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure, big brother." Kaili nodded seriously, with a gleam of ambition in his eyes.
"One step faster, one step faster, I can't miss this opportunity."

The man was still a little hesitant. Seeing this, Kaili continued in a deep voice:
“If I can obtain enough contribution points, I can exchange them for the school’s advanced courses and become a first-class wizard apprentice.

"If I can become a first-class wizard apprentice, I can become a Goldenthorn apprentice! This is a great thing for you and your Sokol Society.

"If nothing else, by then, with the resources I have gained in the school and even the Silver Ring Academy, your hope of becoming a formal wizard will be greatly increased!"

The man thought for a long time, and finally nodded:
"I'll make them cooperate with you."

……

The next day, after Lin En finished meditating, he learned a piece of news—

Kelly and Theodore did a great job during their patrol this morning.

With help from several wizard apprentices, they went to investigate a shop selling witchcraft crystals.

In the process, Kaili and his team discovered substantial evidence that the shop owner was counterfeiting.

With witnesses and evidence in hand, the two men wanted to escort the shop owner back to the Public Security Bureau for trial.

But the latter suddenly rebelled, and Kelly and Theodore tried their best to stop him.

In the end, the shop owner was killed on the spot, with Theodore slightly injured.

Now that the case is closed, the Sheriff's Department has commended the two men for their heroic actions.

Captain Wilson also plans to convene the members of the 11th team to hold a simple commendation party to praise the behavior of the two.

(End of this chapter)