Above the mage

Chapter 337 The Assessment Begins

Downtown Dorn, Kensington.

This is the most expensive area in the entire city of Dorne, a place where nobles and the wealthy reside.

Along the tree-lined avenue stand one mansion after another, built with traditional red bricks and white stones.

There is a magic crystal lamp every ten steps along the street.

As night falls, the magic lights illuminate the street, transforming it into a winding river of stars.

A horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of a townhouse.

Then a young man dressed in luxurious clothes stepped down from the gate, and the three owls perched on the wrought iron gate seemed to be disturbed and suddenly took flight.

The heavy oak door was then opened.

The young man went inside, and the carriage parked at the door sped away.

In Kensington, it is a rule that coachmen are not allowed to linger at the front gate of a mansion for more than three minutes.

The butler was already standing bowing in the shadows of the entryway.

The young man didn't give the butler a second glance; the delicate wave-patterned carpet swallowed the sound of his footsteps.

He walked through the seven-meter-high hall, where the giant whale oil chandelier hanging from the dome reflected his cold profile.

He went up the stairs to his room on the second floor and looked at the bustling street scene through the stained glass windows facing the street.

Her eyes were looking, but her mind wasn't really paying attention; her fingertips were unconsciously rubbing her cufflinks.

These extraordinary cuffs, crafted from the cold iron deep within the Sword Sea, are engraved with miniature magic arrays. On the day he advanced to the second-circle mage, his father specially commissioned one of Dorne's most powerful rune architects to help him carve them.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the door.

"Young Master Zuo Wen," the figure called out respectfully.

"They've arrived," Zuo Wen Burns turned around, looked up at the mage in the Sea Sentinel uniform standing in the doorway, and calmly asked, "How did your mission go?"

"With the help of a mage sent by the Burns family, the mission went very smoothly. I should be awarded a second-class merit this time," Ulvi said, bowing his head.

Although he and the other person held the same rank among the sea sentries, he didn't dare to raise his head and look directly at the other person. He even controlled his breathing to be quiet in front of the other person.

Zovin Burns was a shining star in Dorne, attracting attention since birth.

The Burns family has always been small, and the current Earl of Burns has only two children.

After joining the Sea Sentinels, the eldest son encountered a powerful sea monster while on a sea patrol mission and tragically perished.

Fifteen years later, Earl Burns had his son, the current Zuowen Burns.

From birth, Zuowen Burns was destined to be the sole heir of the Burns family and to inherit the title of Earl.

With this background, Zuowen Burns also possesses exceptional magical talent, having already reached the second rank at a young age.

If it weren't for Count Burns's reluctance to allow Zuowen Burns to join the Sea Sentinels for years due to his eldest son's situation, only recently relenting, it would have caused him to waste a lot of time.

Zuo Wen Burns is probably at least a warrant officer by now.

"That's good." Zuo Wen Burns said casually, glancing at the reserved Ul.

"With this second-class merit, you can submit a promotion application again. With a little help from your family, you should be able to be promoted to sergeant this time."

"Following me was the right choice, wasn't it?"

Ur's facial expression changed slightly, and his drooping hands clenched and unclenched.

He considered himself excellent, but after joining the Sea Sentinels, he suddenly realized that there were too many excellent people among them, and he was simply insignificant.

Two years ago, he almost got dismissed from the sea patrol because he refused to be recruited by nobles and failed the evaluation twice in a row.

He later chose to accept the Burns family's sponsorship and serve them. He was then chosen by Zovin Burns, who had just joined the Sea Sentinels, to become his personal squire.

As a result, in just two years, he was promoted from a trainee monk to a corporal, and the rank of sergeant was within reach.

So what's wrong with his choice?

Ul nodded, both in answering Zuo Wen Burns' question and in telling himself, "Yes, following Young Master Zuo Wen was definitely the best decision I ever made."

"But why do some people not understand such a simple principle?" Zuo Wen Burns asked again, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"He's the first mage I've actively recruited. If I fail, wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing if word got out?"

Ul knew perfectly well who Zuowen Burns was referring to.

He had been following the other party for two years and knew their personality well.

This is someone who doesn't easily show any emotions, and who seems to be particular about so-called aristocratic decorum in everything he does, but is actually quite petty in private.

In fact, he found people like that to be the most terrifying.

On the contrary, people who directly express their emotions are easier to get along with; at least you know what they are thinking.

As for Zuo Wen Burns, he may still be friendly to you on the surface, but in reality he is already plotting how to kill you, which is impossible to guard against.

"Not everyone can make the right choice," Ur replied.

Zuo Wen Burns calmly said, "My father once told me that a single tree cannot make a forest. We must learn to make good use of talent. A prosperous family must have enough branches to withstand the ravages of wind and rain."

"So even if he made the wrong choice, I'm willing to give him another chance to correct his mistake."

He lowered his head, looked at the parchment on the table, and suddenly said, "Naxi has submitted his application for initial training assessment."

"So fast?" Ur was surprised.

"Yes, just as we initially assessed him, he has great talent."

Ul thought for a moment and asked, "Young Master Zuo Wen, who is his opponent in the assessment?"

Zuo Wen Burns looked up and glanced at Ul with a hint of appreciation.

Ur was not the most talented of the commoner mages sponsored by the family, but he was the most intelligent, which is why he was chosen.

"Among the first-class apprentice mages of the Sea Sentinels, Metis is the strongest in terms of combat ability," Zuo Wen said calmly.

"But be careful in your actions, and don't go too far. You should teach Metis a good lesson."

"I understand," Ur said.

Back at his dorm in the Whitechapel district, Gao De found a newly delivered letter in the mailbox by the door.

The message was simple: he was informed that his application for the assessment had been approved and was scheduled for tomorrow, and he was asked to prepare and arrive on time.

After confirming the time and location, Gaode put the email away.

Knowing the format, content, and standards of the assessment, he was confident that passing it wouldn't be difficult, so he didn't feel nervous or worried.

In fact, even after taking hundreds or thousands of exams, he has never experienced negative emotions such as nervousness.

Exams are an area that Gaode is extremely familiar with.

So, as usual, he practiced the runes and cultivated his spiritual techniques, and then rested.

One night passed.

The next day, Gao De got up full of energy and, as usual, first had a free breakfast in the cafeteria before leisurely heading to the "exam room".

Very close.

Because the "examination room" was set up in Collingwood Academy.

Although the destructive power of magic is astonishing, these issues were taken into account during the construction of Collingwood Magic Academy, which was a place specifically for training mages.

Not only are the materials used sturdy and durable, but the entire facility is also filled with various alchemy machines and magic circles, which can effectively dissolve the aftershocks of spells. It is more than enough as a "testing ground" for a first-circle mage.

As we approached the entrance of Collingwood Magic Hall, a tall female mage came towards us.

"Gao De," Melia greeted, "I heard from the cafeteria announcement that you were taking the test today, so I came to watch."

The initial training and assessment are conducted in an open manner.

Besides the examiners and guiding mages, interested sea sentinel mages can also come and observe on their own.

I heard about this news on Gaode Maps last night while I was eating in the cafeteria.

However, in his opinion, mages are generally very busy. Even if they are not on missions, they have a lot of things to do. Therefore, not many people would be interested in the assessment of a newcomer.

Melia came to watch his assessment because she knew him to some extent, which is a kind of "social behavior".

Besides that, there shouldn't be anyone else.

However, he soon realized that he was wrong.

Because an extremely exquisite and luxurious carriage was driving up at a steady speed and stopped at the entrance of the art gallery.

Zuowen Burns got off the carriage.

He looked at Gao De and said with a smile, "I heard you were taking the test today, so I came here specifically to see. Since you have the confidence to refuse the Burns family's sponsorship, I hope you can deliver a performance worthy of that confidence."

Gaode nodded.

He's not stupid.

Therefore, he knew that although the other party seemed amiable, they were not as simple as they appeared.

If he's right, then his test today might be quite challenging.

Even so, he wasn't particularly nervous.

This stems from confidence in one's own abilities.

After greeting everyone, Zuo Wen Burns walked into the Collingwood Museum on his own.

"You go in first, I'll wait here for Master Naxi," Gaode said to Melia, who was standing beside him.

Melia glanced at God, hesitated, and finally just nodded and said, "Okay."

Gao De waited at the entrance for a while, and then several more private carriages arrived one after another, stopped at the entrance of the academy, and people dressed in noble clothes got off the carriages and entered the academy.

At that moment, Gaode heard a few birds chirping.

Looking up, a flock of birds was circling above the clock tower under the clear sky.

Finally, the Naxi monk arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.

As soon as the Naxi monk got out of the car, he glanced at the row of luxurious carriages parked next to the entrance and subconsciously frowned.

He then glanced at the birds circling above the clock tower and said, "The weather is nice today, and the birds are all out playing. They're making quite a racket, so don't let them bother you."

Gao De smiled and said, "Don't worry, Naxi Master, let them make their noise. I'll do my own thing. How can a person be affected by the chirping of birds?"

"That's good, let's go in."

The Naxi monk led Gaode into the magic hall.

As soon as I entered, a young female staff member came over and said, "Lieutenant Naxi."

"Is there something you need?"

"Captain Luo invites you to the VIP room for tea."

"Later, after I take him to finish the assessment," said Master Naxi after thinking for a moment.

"Master Naxi, you can go ahead if you have something to do. It's just a training assessment, I can manage on my own, so there's no need for you to see me off."

The Naxi monk hesitated for a moment, "Are you really sure you'll be alright on your own?"

"If you have to escort me even for training and assessments, what will happen when I'm on missions? I can't expect you to escort me every time," Gao De said with a smile.

The Naxi monk thought for a moment and said, "That's fine."

He patted Gao De on the shoulder and said, "Do your best. I believe in your abilities."

"I believe it too," Gao De said.

The female staff member gestured, "Lieutenant Naxi, this way please. Venerable Gaode, your assessment area is this way."

The two people were on the left and right, facing opposite directions.

(End of this chapter)