Wizard: I Have a World of the Dead

"I refuse!" Lin Qi said without hesitation.

If he were still in Loruntling, it would be difficult to refuse, since rejecting another knight's provocation would be seen as a sign of weakness, which would be detrimental to his rule.

But here he's not even a nobleman anymore, so what's there to worry about...?

"Why?!"

Simon seemed to have not yet adjusted to his new identity, and appeared quite taken aback by Lynch's clean and efficient demeanor.

He immediately raised his hands, exclaiming excitedly, "How could you refuse a sacred knightly duel? This is a disgrace to the family honor! As a nobleman, you shouldn't do this!"

Lin Qi didn't want to talk to him: "If there's nothing else, let's leave it at that."

After saying that, he turned around and tried to leave.

However, Simon quickly stopped him: "Wait!"

Lin Qi frowned, already showing some dissatisfaction.

Just when he thought this guy would provoke him further or even do something humiliating to provoke him, his next move caught Lynch completely off guard.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and grabbed Lin Qi's sleeve, pleading with a mournful face, "Please, just fight me! I beg you, otherwise I really won't be able to sleep!"

"I even went to your territory to look for you before this duel, but you weren't there, so I made a wasted trip."

Lin Qi's lips twitched: So that show-off was you!

He recalled that Margaret had mentioned in a casual conversation that a strange fellow had come to the territory while he was away and immediately challenged Lynch.

Several apprentice knights tried to stop him but were all defeated. They only left dejectedly after learning that Lynch was not in the territory.

"Alright, alright."

Lin Qi was really annoyed by his nagging. Anyway, he didn't have any burden of identity now, so winning or losing didn't matter.

Just as they were preparing to accept the challenge, a voice rang out:

"You can discuss the duel later."

The Eton wizard stepped forward and said, "Now, line up and come here to have your talents assessed."

This farce has come to an end.

Everyone's attention immediately returned to the original topic, except for Simon, who still couldn't forget to say to Lynch: I'll take that as a yes!

The Eton wizard came to the front of the deck, followed by two knights carrying a low table with a strange device on it.

It was a multifaceted crystal suspended on a metal base. The base was cast from a dark gray, unidentified metal, and was hemispherical, about half a meter in diameter, with its surface covered with densely packed runes.

The base has four copper clasps along its edge, with heavy iron chains attached to them. The other ends of the chains are fixed to the four corners of the table, as if to prevent the crystal from suddenly flying away.

The knights placed a low table in front of the Eton Wizard, who sat down and placed his hands folded on the edge of the table.

"This is a resonance crystal core. It can clearly record the frequency of your mental energy fluctuations during your meditation, thereby accurately detecting your meditation efficiency with an error of no more than 3%."

"Alright, come on up."

The apprentice at the front of the line stepped forward. She was a girl, about 12 or 3 years old, with brown hair tied in two braids and a chubby face full of unease.

The Eton Wizard pointed to the groove in the base and said, "Place your hands on it, and then begin to meditate."

The girl took a deep breath, placed her hand on the groove, and then closed her eyes to begin meditating.

Soon, the resonant crystal lit up with a faint grayish-white light, like frost flowers condensing on a window on a winter morning.

The Eton wizard said, "That's enough."

The girl nervously opened her eyes, awaiting the Eton wizard's verdict.

The Eton Wizard took out a notebook and quickly wrote on it with a quill, casually saying, "Inferior talent, mental coefficient 1.8."

The girl's eyes immediately turned red, and her face turned deathly pale.

A low murmur arose on the deck.

"Grayish-white...that's an inferior talent."

"That's too cruel; the first one is the worst."

"Her path as a wizard was over before it even began, wasn't it?"

Lin Qi felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. He turned around and saw that Simon had placed a hand on his shoulder at some point.

He looked at the girl with pity and said, "Look at this girl, she's almost crying, so pitiful."

By the way, are we that close?

Lin Qi was speechless at this overly familiar guy.

"Quiet!"

The Eton wizard silenced the apprentices' commotion, then comforted the girl in front of him, saying, "There's no need to be sad. Talent isn't the deciding factor in the wizarding world."

"The significance of the assessment lies solely in giving you a clear understanding of your own physical sensations, so as to determine your future direction."

The girl's expression softened slightly.

Ok?

It seems like they actually have a human touch.

Lynch inexplicably felt a sense of goodwill towards the Eton wizard, which gave him a greater sense of security about his unknown journey.

In legends, wizards are often portrayed as cold and ruthless, and some texts even describe them as insane, cruel, and bloodthirsty. But it seems that this is not always the case.

Or perhaps the wizarding community you're going to is more benign?

"Okay, next one."

The second apprentice stepped forward. This was a stranger Lynch was familiar with—Thorne from the Great Library of Merris.

He moved swiftly, walked to the low table, placed his hands in the grooves, and closed his eyes.

The crystal lit up.

It wasn't grayish-white, but a deep purple, like a blooming violet, quickly filling the entire resonant crystal.

"Yo!"

A glint of light flashed in the Eton wizard's eyes, and he said with slight surprise, "A high-level talent has actually emerged."

"Advanced talent—good heavens!"

"Twenty years! Just twenty years to become a wizard!"

"Thorn's luck is just too good!"

Upon hearing Eton Wizard's words, the deck, which had just quieted down, erupted into another uproar, the apprentices' voices filled with envy.

Thorne, who had just opened his eyes, was clearly very excited, and an unnatural flush rose to his face.

The Eton Wizard smiled slightly: "Mental coefficient 6.3, not bad luck, kid."

But after a pause, he changed the subject and added, "But don't be too happy yet. Having good talent just means you have a high starting point; it doesn't mean anything in the wizarding world."

"I've seen far too many talented apprentices who waste their entire lives."

The Eton Wizard's attitude made Lynch somewhat puzzled.

It seems that talent isn't valued that much here?

If talent isn't the most important thing for a wizard, then what is?

Mindset? Effort? Or something else?

Testing continues.

After more than a dozen apprentices, it was finally Lin Qi's turn.

Lin Qi stepped forward, preparing to place his hand on it.

But at this moment

"Pray."

Ok?

Lynch raised his head and looked at the Eton Wizard in front of him with a puzzled expression.

The latter looked at him with a strange expression and said, "Pray, kid, pray that you have a good talent."

What the hell?

You looked completely unconcerned when you checked so many people, so why did your expression change when it came to me?

Perhaps sensing Lin Qi's doubts, the Eton Wizard said meaningfully, "Talent assessment may not be important to others here, but for you—"

"Crucial!"

"It could even be the key to determining your future destiny!"

Lynch: "........"

Would it kill you to explain yourself more clearly?

Lynch was impressed by the riddle-maker.

"Alright, let's begin the identification."

Seeing that Eaton had no intention of explaining further, Lynch had no choice but to give up and place his hand on the groove.

The metal groove felt cool and smooth to the touch, fitting snugly against his palm like a piece of warm jade that had been caressed by countless hands.

He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

The vortex in his mind began to spin, and his mental energy surged out from his mind, flowing along the meridians of his arm, seeping out from his fingertips, and pouring into the two cold metal grooves.

The crystal lit up.

It's not grayish-white. It's not silvery-white. It's not light blue. It's not purple, it's...

gold!

A golden hue burst forth from inside the crystal ball, like a rising sun bursting forth from below the horizon, illuminating every facet of the crystal and outlining every ridge.

The entire crystal seemed to be infused with some kind of scalding, flowing gold, burning from the inside out.

Extremely dazzling!

The noisy deck fell silent in an instant.

None of the apprentices who had previously examined the crystals had ever caused such a violent reaction from the resonating crystals.

Everyone seemed to have guessed what was going on, and stared wide-eyed at the Eton wizard, waiting for him to announce the answer.

The Eton wizard was also stunned for a moment, his expression one of surprise.

This result was clearly unexpected for him.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and then revealed the answer.

"excellent..."

His voice seemed slightly hoarse as he composed himself before booming out, "Superior talent!"